Killing Them Softly
by Lord Divestre Croft
Summary: Tifa Lockhart,one minute, a famous supermodel. The next minute, an uptight, no nonsense assassin. When she takes a job and stays in the estate of an eccentric dance instructor , Tifa soon realizes that she's taken on more than she has bargained for...
1. Prologue: The Beautiful Assassin

The crescent moon shined forth to witness the events of this night. Waves from the ocean clashed against the bottom of the cliff, fighting in vain to get past it. A small, Mediterranean scrub forest and a stone path climbed up from the summit of the cliff and hid the edge. A light, salty breeze made its way through the leaves, as if it were whispering what was to come. Sitting near the edge was a small, Italian mansion, sitting by the sea in its glory. All was peace...but not for long.

The low hum of a motorcycle engine disrupted the silence. As the vehicle came closer, the sound grew louder. Then, a young driver abruptly stopped the machine, dismounted, and started up the path.

The lady walked through the forest, stalking through the night for her prey. Black was her theme tonight; she wore a pair of leather boots, jeans, a white shirt, and a tight leather jacket. The jacket was left unzipped at the chest and held her ample bust as if it were resting in a hammock. Her hips swayed slightly as she strolled; her wine colored eyes glanced from side to side from time to time, always watching for danger.

Brushing a dark brown hair of her face, she breathed lightly and smiled at herself. Suddenly, a bush, just a few feet away, rustled and caught her senses. The woman pulled a gun from underneath her jacket and shot twice at the bush. A few seconds passed. Then, a moan came from the bush, and an arm dropped lifelessly beside it. A snitch!

"What a waste of bullets," the woman snarled.

She continued up the path, quickening her pace. She had a job to do, and there was no need to stall any longer.

The path ended, and she was finally at her destination, the manor. The woman quietly bolted to the side of the building and turned her head from side to side, to see if she was being watched. A window, on the first story of the large house, presented itself to her. She pulled out a small, skinny device and pressed a flat button on it, heating the end of the tip. Slipping it between the two window shutters, she slid it down, and it cut through the lock like butter. A new invention.

The woman climbed through the open window and made her way into the empty room.

"This is way too easy," the woman whispered to herself. "Why am I doing a job like this? Doesn't Geneva know my capabilities?

The woman found a door and opened it as quietly as she could. All of the lights were on were on in the hall, and no one was in sight. She stepped out the room and walked through the hall, searching for her main objective.

"Is anyone home?" she said mockingly.

Turning around the hall, she noticed a shadow appearing at the other corner of the hall. The shadow grew larger and larger, and then a large, muscular man appeared. The hall appeared empty to him; no one was to be seen. The guard continued his nightly stroll, unsuspecting a thing. The woman waited, supporting herself against the ceiling, with her hands and feet pressing against the siding walls. As the guard neared the corner, she let go of her balance and landed gracefully behind him. Before he could turn around, the woman had a gun against his head.

"Take me to Gianno de Bellucia," she whispered harshly.

The guard hesitated to answer. The woman removed the gun from the side of his head and savagely pressed it under his chin.

"Take me to him...NOW!"

The guard stepped forward without question, and the woman kept her grip on him. He quickly went up a flight of stairs that led to a second hall. He stopped at a door.

"Is this it?" she whispered calmly.

"Yes."

No sooner had he answered, a bullet was emptied into his head, and he sank to the floor. With a swift kick, the woman took out the door and welcomed herself into a huge library. Her target, Belluci, stood up from his desk, startled by her entrance. Four of his bodyguards immediately went to their master's side. Belluci calmed down and spoke.

"Good evening, young lady. How may I help you?"

"I suppose you could, Senor Bellucia. My name is Tifa Lockhart."

Gianno Belluci walked away from his desk and towards Tifa to get a better look at her. The 'heavies' made sure to stay close.

"And what is it that you need, Miss Lockhart?"

"I have been sent here to Italy," Tifa answered in mock politeness. "I believe I'm here to kill you."

The Italian gang leader looked her up and down with shock. But then, he laughed at her. How could such a pretty, little thing be able to kill him? It had to be a joke!

He stepped back behind his bodyguards and said, "You...kill me?"

"Si, senor," Tifa answered mockingly.

Belluci chuckled to himself and told his bodyguards, "Kill her."

Three of the bodyguards pulled out their weapons in dumb confidence. The fourth rested his hand on the gun in his pocket. Tifa scoffed for all of the idiots in the world before letting herself lose it once again. One of the heavies rushed forward, with a metal pole in his hands, raised over his head. He swung the pole to hit her in the head, but Tifa simply smiled and caught it in her hand. She gave him brutal kick in the groin, and soon as he was on his knees, in pain, Tifa rapped quickly wrapped her arms around his head and snapped his neck. The other men had followed close, so she stayed on her toes.

"You stupid bi...!"

Tifa ran forward, towards the closest bodyguard, picked up her left leg, and high-kicked him in the face. Catching him off guard, Tifa pulled out a hidden knife and stabbed his neck. Two down and two to go...

"Ha!" she cried. "You call this a fight! You're pathetic!"

"Shut up!"

Two stupid, offended henchmen to take out. The remaining two chased her up to against a pillar that supported the roof. She 'ran' up the pillar and flipped herself behind one of the men. Still in hyper speed, she knocked the man out with a kick. The remaining man turned around and witnessed this. Pulling out two knives, he engaged Tifa in compact. Showing the formidable opponent that he was, she almost struggled to dodge his blows. With another pair of hidden knives, she equaled the sides. Finding an opening, she went forward and slit his throat.

Tifa looked back at Belluci's desk and saw that he had abandoned it. Quickly, she turned a noticed the coward, trying to escape through the door. Quickly, she pulled out her gun.

"Going somewhere?"

Gianno Belluci whirled around in horror. Wasting no time, Tifa pulled the trigger and her victim's blood stained the wall.

Pleased with her accomplishment, Tifa walked towards the unconscious henchman and shot him as well. After all, you just couldn't leave witnesses.

Tifa retrieved the knife she had embedded in the other minion's neck, pulled out a cloth from the pocket of her jacket, and cleaned it. Seeing an open window at the end of the library, she jumped through it, landing stylishly on the ground, and made her get away.

----------

Rude felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. Flipping it open, Rude answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rude..."

Rude quickly recognized the voice. Tifa Lockhart.

"Hello, Tifa," he answered. "I hope you are well."

"I'm well," said Tifa, "but I'm pretty sure Belluci isn't."

Rude leaned back in his swivel chair and smiled.

"Delicious," he responded. "The boss is gonna be very happy. We've been after that scumbag for years!"

"Your welcome," she cooed. "And?"

"And the money will be placed in your Swiss bank account."

"Thank you."

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Either you like so far, or you don't. Please review on your way out of the page. Tehehehehe...


	2. Le Chaud

The teenage students were spread all around the large dance floor. Some lay down, lazily, and stared at the ceiling high above. Others sat, slouched in their chairs and chattering away about nothing. It was obvious that they felt indifferent about the class; the majority of them didn't even want to be there. Sure, tonight at 10 p.m., the dance studio was going open up as a hip, city-famous nightclub, but none of them wanted to take a dance class.

The enormous stereo machine sat on the edge of the stage, overlooking the dance floor. The machine bellowed forth the music from a CD, which a dance student had brought with them.

_I came to have a party _

_Open off the Bacardi _

_Feeling so hot tamale _

_Boy, I know you watchin' me_

_So what's it gonna be?_

At the closed bar, Marlene did her homework as she sat on the high stool, with her feet dangling above the ground. She glanced once or twice at the teenagers to break the anxiety of writing her math equations. But soon, worry distracted her.

"Where's Aeris and big brother?" she whispered to herself. "Usually, they're on time, but it's been fifteen minutes."

Being a sixth grader, it was strange for a child to think like this. But this was normal for Marlene. It had always been like that...or at least, after her mother and father had passed away...

_Everybody is livin' it up _

_All the fellas keep lookin' at us cause _

_Me and my girls on the floor like, what _

_While the DJ keeps on spinning the cut_

A gentle hand perched on Marlene's shoulder and startled her. She calmed down immediately when she saw Aeris's face. Aeris wore a black halter dress that barely covered the knees. Usually, during previous classes, all she would have worn was a tank top and dance pants. Something was up. Nevertheless, Marlene immediately embraced Aeris, and the nervousness went away.

"Hey, sweetie!" Aeris cooed. "How was school today?"

"It was great. The biology teacher had us dissect a frog today!"

Aeris tried her best not to vomit; she couldn't stand blood and gore. She did her best to keep her smile for Marlene.

"Marlene, it's Friday," Aeris said. "Why are you doing your homework?"

"I didn't want to do it during the weekend. I'm all done now."

Aeris laughed and ran her fingers through the child's hair.

_It's a special occasion _

_Mimi's emancipation _

_A cause for celebration _

_I ain't gonna let nobody's drama bother me _

"Are you going to change the class music for Cloud again?

Marlene's head bobbed up and down.

"Good, 'cause class is going to start a little differently today..."

Aeris leaned close to Marlene and whispered in her ear. Marlene listened intently, and when she understood was she being told, Aeris handed her a CD and sent her to the stereo system across the stage.

"Track 5, Marlene."

"Okay!"

_Cause it's my night _

_No stress, no fights _

_I'm leaving it all behind _

_No tears, no time to cry _

_Just making the most of life._

Marlene made her way to the dance floor. She stepped over a lounging student or two and zigzagged through the chairs. Marlene couldn't wait to hear the teen groaning when she would eject their precious music; it was funny, in a slightly sadistic, yet cute sort of way. The machine towered above her like the gate of a fort. She pressed a button, and the music stopped abruptly. Cue the groans.

"Ah man!" a male student complained. "The brat's changing the music again!"

Marlene loved those words so much; it meant triumph for her. Her privilege to the stereo gave her a resemblance of power over the class, and there was nothing the bored teens could do about it.

Marlene quickly put in the CD that Aeris had given her and looked back to her. Aeris walked onto the dance floor and spotted Cloud, putting a duffle bag on the floor. A men's blouse, black slacks, and jacket, slung across his shoulder, replaced his normal dancewear. As soon as Cloud stepped onto the floor, Aeris gave Marlene the thumps up.

Through the speakers, a tweaked up version of samba music blared through, low at first. Aeris gracefully strolled toward the middle of the stage. Her hips moved from side to side, and her feet moved as if she were stalking her own class. Her choice of dress was wise, for it accentuated her waist, catching the attention of the boys and the admiration off the girls. One boy dared to get the closest to her and blatantly said allowed, "Well, what do we have hear?"

When Aeris was close enough to her students, her right hand reached for a button, close to beginning of her thighs. As the button was undone, the drapery of the dress swung to side, revealing the full glory of her legs. Her arms gracefully rose above her as she slowly twirled her hip sensually. With her body still moving, her hands sank and slithered and rubbed down on her neck. The class gawked at their co-teacher as they saw her in this new light.

With her partner, Cloud, arriving at the scene, they began to walk in a perfect circle, as if they were gangsters, getting ready to fight... just with better posture. Aeris rested the palm of her hand on Cloud's chest for a second and then playfully pushed him away. Cloud took the jacket and threw it to the side, making it land on one of the students on purpose. Briskly, the two teachers stepped forward, towards each other. Cloud rested his left hand on her shifting waist and took her hand with his right. Her right arm was free. The students stood up to get a closer look, wondering what their teachers were thinking.

Cloud twirled his partner around, never letting go of her hand. Quickly pulling Aeris to him, her back rested his chest. Hips moving from side to side in unison, there was virtually no space in between them. All the spectators could do was stare. The tempo of the music changed, and so did the speed of their dance. Cloud turned her around, and the movement of their feet became fast paced.

Marlene watched proudly as Aeris and her older brother teased their students on the dance floor with their fancy footwork. She stared at the all of their surprised faces; they had no clue that Mr. Strife and Miss Gainsborough were so skilled. All this time, their so-called fuddy-duddy instructors had unwittingly deceived them. The newly interested students marveled at how quick the couple's reflexes were.

----------

"Did you see the look on their faces!" Marlene shouted with glee.

Cloud sat beside his little sister and rubbed the top of her head.

"Well," he answered, "I shouldn't have any trouble teaching them anymore."

"Yeah...now they realize how much they suck at dancing."

"Watch your language, Marlene. You're a lady."

Marlene looked down at her feet and then at Cloud in mock shame. Cloud sighed and decided to let it go...for now.

"Cloud," she asked. "Do you like Aeris?"

He was quickly taken aback at his sister's question. Marlene looked at him with anticipating eyes, waiting for him to speak. Her hopes were drawn onto one of his possible answers.

"Well...she is my best friend, so I do like her...but I've thought twice before asking her to be my girlfriend. It would feel too strange..."

"That's good," Marlene said happily.

"Why's that?"

"Aeris is nice...she's like my big sister...but I don't think she's for you. She's too sweet and docile!"

Cloud nearly lost his stomach laughing.

"Well, it's true!" Marlene cried.

It took Cloud a few moments to catch his breathe.

"Why are you talking about me having a girlfriend all of a sudden?"

Marlene hesitated to answer him. She turned herself on the high stool and stared at the vast collection of liquors and alcohol. Cloud nudged her on the arm, in a fit of impatience.

"What's the deal," he prodded.

Marlene breathed deeply and said, "When a guy and a girl dance, it reminds me of mama and papa. I suddenly realize how weird it is that a woman and a man are not walking around the house. We're the only ones there."

Cloud pulled Marlene close to him and climbed from the stool and into his lap. He hugged her tightly and rocked her gently. Her head rested on his chest.

"Listen to me Marlene," Cloud said. "I know it's hard without mom and dad around."

Cloud nudged her head off of his chest and they faced each other.

"If I do find someone, though, I make sure to bring her in the house."

Marlene smiled and kissed her brother on the cheek. She squeezed him tightly and said thank you over and over again. She pushed herself off of his lap and landed with a stomp.

"I'm gonna go change before the club reopens," she said.

She grabbed her back pack and ran towards the bathroom. Cloud kept his happy façade and she was out of sight. It seemed that Cloud would never be able to tell his sister the truth about their parents death...even for reasons he did not know himself.

-----------

"And that's a wrap," the photographer shouted.

Tifa sighed with relief. The way she had been tilting her neck was beginning to strain. Her body, which formerly lounged in a silk, nearly sheer nightgown, quickly stood up in its full height: 5 ft 8 in.

Rubbing her hair, Tifa walked towards her dressing room with his hairdresser and make-up artist following close behind. A secretary ran up to join them.

"You did so well, Miss Lockhart," she said. "I don't know how you do it. Always stunning in every photo you take. It's like you're a magnet for charm!"

Tifa blushed lightly at his comments. It was true though; she just had it in her to be a supermodel. The gift was just there. It was apart of her. And it was a great way to cool down after a job...

"Miss Lockhart, the president wants you to make an appearance at a nightclub. For promoting the business, of course."

"Nightclub?" Tifa answered. "What is it called?"

"It's known as Le Chaud. It's been rising in popularity for the past year."

Tifa wanted to punch out the president. Tonight, she had planned to go out with her girlfriend, and fellow assassin, Yuffie, and have some time to herself. This double career thing was really starting to get to her...

"I'll be there with the entourage," Tifa said reluctantly.

----------

Until next time!


	3. Cheesecake Rhapsody

"Darn it...why, of all nights did it have to be tonight!"

Yuffie placed her hand on Tifa's head in understanding comfort. Tifa was prone on Yuffie's living room couch, sulking over her seemingly degenerating freedom. Yuffie struggled to sit down on the couch, without falling off or sitting on her friend. Tifa felt the soothing sensation of the hand, rubbing up and down on her tense back.

"This is the life you chose, you know," Yuffie scolded.

"Ah, shut up, Yuffie!" Tifa growled.

"Don't kill the messenger."

Tifa slowly got up from her lounging and scooted herself to the corner. She sat, hugging her legs tightly, like a young girl, isolating herself from classmates.

"Well," Yuffie said cheerfully, "we're spending time together now! Let's go out and have a quick lunch."

"We were going to the amusement park, Yuffie. A quick lunch is not going to bring the kid out of us!"

"So," Yuffie replied. "No to the lunch?"

"Of course we're going to lunch!" Tifa shouted.

Tifa leaped from soft cushion, grabbed Yuffie's arm, and headed near to the coat rack near the door.

"Where are we going to eat?" Yuffie asked.

"Somewhere with some freaking good cheesecake," Tifa mumbled.

"Cheesecake?"

With their coats on, the two best friends were out of the door. Outside of Yuffie's townhouse, the huge complex stretched, parallel of the sidewalk. Tifa ran up to the curb of the sidewalk and shot up her thumb, signaling a taxi.

"Why cheesecake?" Yuffie asked.

The taxi came to an abrupt halt, and Tifa quickly opened the door. She slid to the second back seat and Yuffie followed in as well.

"Come on, Yuf," Tifa teased. "This is NYC! Cheesecake isn't that hard to find...and there is no such thing as a reason why you should eat it...you just do!"

Yuffie heaved a deep breathe and gave in to Tifa's spontaneity. Something was not quite right today. Tifa was not acting herself today. In fact, their roles had been almost completely reversed. Honestly, Yuffie thought she would never understand women who were older than her.

----------

"No one makes cheesecake like New York does," Yuffie declared.

Tifa nodded assent, with her mouth full of the succulent dessert. The cake melted in her mouth like butter and slid down her throat effortlessly. It was almost psychological. After the first bite, you just couldn't stop.

"Mmmmmmmmm," Tifa groaned. "I feel better already."

"I'm glad to hear it."

A third party had joined the conversation. Tifa and Yuffie turned to see Rude, standing next to them at the table. Their boss's messenger.

"Hi, Rude!" Yuffie shouted, with her mouth foaming with cream cheese.

"May I join you for a moment?"

"Why not?" Tifa replied.

Rude pulled up a free chair from an empty table and sat. Yuffie continued to devour her cheesecake like a little child, listening for her time to talk.

"So, what brings you here?" Tifa said.

"I'm here on behalf of Mr. Shinra..."

"Tell me something I don't know," Tifa interrupted.

"I'll get to the point then," Rude replied. "You're going to Le Chaud tonight, right?"

"And where did you get a hold of that information?"

Rude leaned back in his chair and chuckled.

"We played a little hand in it," he replied slyly. "But that doesn't matter! I came hear to tell you that Yuffie will be joining you on in the entourage tonight."

Yuffie stopped mid bite and looked at Rude incredulously.

"Is that it," Tifa asked.

----------

"You see, Tifa!" Yuffie taunted. "Everything worked out perfectly. We're going to spend time together anyhow! Life is so beautiful..."

Tifa tuned her friend out in her frustration. She pretended to window shop through the glass of the vast stores.

"What's wrong, Miss Supermodel?" Yuffie said.

Tifa turned to her friend with a scowl on her face.

"Mr. Shinra wants me to meet the owner of the club," she grumbled.

The clicking of Tifa's heels grew louder as she quickened her step.

"So, what's wrong with that?"

Tifa put a motherly palm on Yuffie's head and replied, "With my vast experience of club owners, all of them turned out to be either drunks, pimps, drug addicts and dealers...never one or the other...or complete scoundrels."

"You're too narrow minded," Yuffie retorted.

Suddenly, a man 'stumbled' in the crowd and fell forward. Reaching out, his hands landed on Tifa's chest. Anger rose up in Tifa's throat. As the man stood back up to feign remorse, Tifa picked up her left leg. The man's face went in contact with her heels, and down he fell.

"Pervert!" Yuffie screeched!

Yuffie walked over to the fallen man and stomped on his groin, before following after Tifa.

"That's the kind of scoundrel I'm talking about," Tifa said.

----------

And the story unfolds.

Mwahahahahahahahahaha!

Sorry...


	4. Welcome To the Nightlife

It was a strange ritual. Whenever going out to a party or night, Tifa and Yuffie would prepare for it together. It always took place at Tifa's place, mainly because Tifa had an ultra large collection of makeup, bath cosmetics, and a larger house. Courtesy of the fashion industry. So what if this was for a 'job'? A nightclub was still a nightclub, so it still called for it. Since the process of beautification took hours and the entourage left at 9 pm, Tifa and Yuffie set about it at 3pm.

"Where are we now, Yuffie?" Tifa asked.

Yuffie sat down on the bed, next to Tifa, and carefully scanned the handy checklist.

"We have bathed, and done are hair and nails," Yuffie answered. "Now that the nails are dry, let's dig into that wardrobe of yours!"

Tifa rolled her eyes and exhaled, making a piece of her hair rise.

"You did bring your shoes, right?" Tifa asked. "We both have different sizes so..."

"Relax," Yuffie retorted. She fished out a pair of pink shoes in her duffel bag.

Tifa got up and walked over to a double door entrance to her closet.

"It's good that I kept the dresses I was given when I was a teenage model," Tifa said. "You're pretty tiny for twenty-one, Yuffie."

Tifa new that Yuffie hated it when people talked about her physical size. That's what made it so fun. Yuffie growled and followed Tifa into the closet.

"What to wear," Tifa groaned. "I have so many choices."

Dresses upon dresses. Suits upon suits. The closet had a plethora of clothes. Tifa eyed the clock, and it read 6:30 pm.

Yuffie shuffled through the smaller sizes, searching for a matching dress with her shoes.

"Hey, Yuffie," Tifa said. "What about this?"

Tifa held a green dress against herself. Yuffie visualized the dress on her friend, and stuck out her tongue in disgust.

"It'll make you look **too **innocent, Tif."

Defeated, Tifa placed hung up the dress and tried again.

"Oooooo, I like this one," Yuffie cooed.

She pulled out a pink, strapless dress, and Tifa nodded.

"Hmmmm, good idea. You're having better luck than I am, and this is my wardrobe!"

"That's because you're not focusing," Yuffie teased.

Tifa kept on shuffling through the clothes. Suddenly, a blind frustration, Tifa let out a loud groan and put her hand on her forehead.

"What the heck is wrong with you?"

"It's going to be a bodyguard/hit job, isn't it," Tifa said.

"Huh?"

"A bodyguard/hit job," Tifa repeated. "It's so obvious!"

"So what's your problem?" Yuffie asked.

"I already know who our charge will be. It's going to be the club owner."

"Stop stereotyping..." Yuffie began.

"We're gonna baby-sit some sleaze ball who got himself into trouble!" Tifa yelled. "You know the plan. The target goes after another target. We use the target's target as a decoy. Then we kill our target!"

Yuffie decided to let Tifa rant on without interruption. Tifa began to make her way through the clothes, faster than before.

"He better not be dirty old man," Tifa grumbled. "If some lecherous geezer tries to hit on me, there'll be hell to pay."

"If we're lucky," Yuffie said in a sultry manner, "he might be cute..."

"I'll try to think like that," Tifa muttered sarcastically.

Then, the perfect dress caught Tifa's eye. Pulling it out, Yuffie gawked it.

"Perfect!" Yuffie cried.

----------

The white, glistening limousine pulled up in front the nightclub. Screaming, adoring fans jostled each other to try to get closer to the red carpet. They knew that she was coming...

As soon as Tifa stepped out of the vehicle, the crowd went insane! No one paid any heed to the entourage. The men at the doors struggled to keep the crowd behind the lines. Whistles from her male admirers rose; girl's wailed for Tifa to notice them. The noise almost drowned the music coming from the club. The flashings of pictures were almost enough to blind, but Tifa was used to it. In fact, she feasted on it. Yuffie, on the other hand, felt like a fish out of water.

The front entrance granted sanctuary from the enthusiasts. The music blazed through the large speaker on the stage and the speakers built in the walls. Dim, colored lights flashed throughout the club, increasing the energy. The dance floor was alive; the people jived to the beat of a techno-dance number as if it were the last dance of their life. And Tifa loved it.

"This place rocks!" Yuffie yelled over the loud music.

"May be this won't be so bad after all!" Tifa shouted back.

Yuffie spotted the bar and thanked God that she was twenty-one. Grabbing Tifa's hand, Yuffie dragged her friend to get a drink.

"Even the liquor selection is to die for."

Yuffie sat herself on the high stool, and Tifa forced to follow. The bartender quickly made his way over as soon as he set eyes on the pretty, young girls.

"Hello, ladies," the bartender greeted. "My name's Cid. What can I get for you."

"I'll have a Bloody Mary," Yuffie said.

"Pina Colada for me," Tifa answered.

"Coming right up!"

As soon as Cid left, Yuffie said, "How much time till the others get here for the meeting."

"In about an hour."

"Good," Yuffie said, "because I need to use the bathroom."

Yuffie slid off of her seat and shouted, "Don't wait up."

Tifa watched as her fellow assassin disappeared into the crowd. Left alone, Tifa waited patiently for the drinks. That's when **he** arrived.

"Hey, Cid," Cloud said.

Cloud sat down next to Tifa.

"The usual?" Cid asked.

"Yeah."

Tifa stared, struggling to keep her mouth from dropping. This guy was hot. Not just any kind of hot. It was a good quality hot!

And Cloud noticed her out of the corner of his eye.

----------

Until next time!


	5. Sexy First Impressions

Yuffie stared at her reflection in the mirror. Placing her purse on the marble sink counter, she unzipped it and pulled out her lipstick.

"_I got to look good tonight,"_ she thought to herself. _"Vincent's coming too."_

A pink blush appeared on her face. Tifa always fun of Yuffie for having a fetish for older men. But Yuffie didn't care. Besides, Vincent was **only **thirteen years older than her.

"If only he didn't treat me like a little girl," Yuffie grumbled. "And he always makes fun of my large forehead!"

Yuffie had finished applying the lipstick, but now, she was deep in thought. For some reason, in the back of her head, she felt that something was coming. Sure, they were planning on killing someone, as usual. As much as Yuffie tried to ignore it, a terrible premonition was creeping up her spine, leaving her shaking with fear.

"Tifa."

Yuffie leaned on a marble wall, and hugged herself.

----------

It was as if time had completely frozen. As soon as they had locked eyes, they would not stop staring at each other. Tifa was completely lost in his eyes. They were like a deep, vast ocean. His eyes were filled with jubilation, playfulness, liveliness, mystery...

"I'm sorry," Cloud said. "I'm an idiot. All I'm doing staring and saying nothing..."

Tifa snapped back to reality. As his words sank in, she began to laugh. Her laugh was sweet and bubbly. Cloud quickly took every moment of it. Tifa came back to earth and smiled.

"Maybe," she answered, "nothing was supposed to be said at the moment."

Cid had the drinks that Tifa and Yuffie had ordered, but as soon as he saw Cloud and Tifa's mutual attraction, he decided to wait a little while longer to serve the drinks. After all, Cloud had never talked to a woman like this before; it was the moment of a lifetime.

"I go by Cloud Strife."

"I go by Tifa Lockhart."

The name sparked Cloud's memory.

"Do you mean the 'Tifa Lockhart'?" he asked. "The supermodel?"

This took Tifa by surprise. The fact that he recognized her was not strange to her. It was in the manner that he asked her. His voice was calm and held no hint of shock or excitement.

"You know," Tifa commented, "people usually freak out when they recognize me."

"Each person to his or her job," Cloud replied. "You make your living as a top notch model, and I make my living in my own way."

"And what do you do for a living, Mr. Strife?"

"I'd like to keep that to myself for the moment."

"Playing mysterious?" Tifa inquired.

"Yeah, you could say that."

Cid walked over and delivered the three drinks. Cloud immediately took the glass and sipped. Tifa took her glass and turned herself around on the high stool, facing the dance floor. Cloud immediately thanked God for her choice of dress. The dress, being red, stopped in the middle of thighs in the front, showing off her smooth, irresistible legs. And her skin was like peach cream...

"_You pervert!" _he mentally scolded himself. _"Since when have I ogled pretty women?"_

"Is their something wrong, Mr. Strife?"

"Me? No..."

Cloud attempted to distract himself by watching the people on the dance floor and sipping on his drink. Tifa glanced at her watch. Forty-five minutes left.

"Where is Yuffie?" she mumbled.

"Who's Yuffie?" Cloud asked.

"My friend who abandoned me a while ago."

"Maybe," Cloud said, "She got dragged onto the dance floor by some guy."

Tifa did not know how to react to his statement. The sudden urge to laugh in a loud manner came over her. She hunched forward, shaking and covering her mouth, to avoid embarrassment. But soon, she succumbed, and everyone at the bar counter could hear her. Cloud joined in as well.

"Well...hahahah...that fits...hahaha...for Yuffie," Tifa managed to reply.

"Too bad the dance floor's crowded."

Tifa recovered from her fit and regained composure.

"Yeah," she replied. "That is too bad."

They both watched the dancing crowd, but shot each other occasional glances. Tifa leaned over until her mouth was next to his hear.

"Wanna go look for her on the dance floor with me," she whispered seductively.

Cloud never had to chance to answer. Tifa placed the glass back on the counter and gracefully slid off of the high stool.

"Coming, Mr. Strife?"

Cloud quickly put his glass on the counter and followed after her. He made sure to tell Cid to hold Yuffie's seat.

----------

As Cid served a customer a drink, he noticed Yuffie heading back to the bar. She rushed quickly, embarrassed that she had been gone so long. But, Tifa was no where to be found.

"Where is my friend?" Yuffie asked Cid.

"You mean the brunette?" Cid answered. "It's a funny thing...she just hustled my boss onto the dance floor."

"The owner!" Yuffie cried.

Cid nodded. Yuffie began to rub her head in confusion. Was this the same best friend that wanted nothing to do with club owners at all? Yuffie glanced hard into the crowd of dancers.

"Can you see them anywhere?" Yuffie asked.

Cid leaned over the counter and scanned the floor. His eye quickly caught his employer.

"Right over there, near the corner.

Cid pointed to the spot. Yuffie looked closely, saw her companion, and then noticed the man dancing with her. Yuffie's jaw dropped.

"**That **is the owner!"

"Why do the women that come here always say that?" Cid asked.

She continued to stare, wide-eyed, as Tifa danced with the owner. Then, Yuffie laughed her butt off.

"What's so funny?" Cid asked.

Yuffie, still laughing, grabbed onto the counter to keep from falling.

"Forget it!" Yuffie shouted between gasps. This moment was priceless. And Tifa didn't have a clue...

"Acting like a monkey again, I suppose."

Yuffie could have recognized that voice from anywhere. A mixture of joy and annoyance filled her. Sitting upright again, she calmly greeted the man.

"Hello, Vincent."

Vincent sat next to her in Tifa's former seat.

"So, what was so funny?" Vincent asked.

" None of your freaking business," Yuffie answered.

"It's not nice for a lady to be so harsh with her words."

"What do you know?" Yuffie snarled.

Yuffie looked to see Tifa and the owner on the dance floor.

"So Forehead, any idea what the job is about?" Vincent teased.

"My name is not Forehead, and no, I don't know."

Yuffie did not even face him when she spoke. Vincent wasn't insulted though; he loved to mess with her mind.

"_She's always mad at me..."_he thought.

Vincent tried to figure out what Yuffie was looking at. He leaned close to her, much to her hidden pleasure, and viewed the dance floor at her perspective.

"What on earth is Tifa doing dancing with him?" Vincent asked. "I thought she hated club owners."

"You know him?" Yuffie asked.

"I go here often. A lot of beautiful women pass through here..."

"WHAT!" Yuffie cried sarcastically. "The women in the office aren't good enough for you?"

"How would you like a spanking?" Vincent replied.

Yuffie scowled and answered, "And how would you like a punch in the nose?"

He looked at the young woman as if he was going to strike her with lightning. Instead he playfully smiled and called Cid's attention for a drink. Yuffie growled like a savage wolf before giving up. She began to mumble something about a stupid, brunette, skinny man.

----------

A slow dance had commenced. Cloud took in the smell of Tifa's hair, a lovely, jasmine smell. He held her tightly around the waist and against his chest. Tifa rested her head against his shoulder; her eyes were shut as if she was in a peaceful sleep.

"_I have to get this guy's number," _she thought desperately.

Looking over his shoulder, Tifa stretched out her arm to look at her watch. Her mind filled with panic; the meeting was in three minutes!

"I have to go," Tifa said reluctantly.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm supposed to meet a group of people right now."

Cloud slowly released his embrace and stood back, sulking. Tifa cursed her luck. She had finally a cute guy, and now, a 'job' was getting away...

"Can we meet again afterwards?" she asked.

Cloud's mood changed, and he nodded in agreement.

"I'd love too."

Tifa smiled in relief. She gave Cloud a peck on the cheek and walked off of the dance. As soon as she was out of sight, a mischievous smirk appeared on his face.

His conscience was bothered that he had deceived her, though. Cloud had not expected her to be at the bar, and he had been strictly told not to reveal himself to her. Still, he did enjoy talking and dancing with her. It was going to be hard keeping her around the house...

----------

"Is everyone present?" Mr. Shinra asked.

And everyone was. All of the able assassins stood against the wall of the owner's office, in front their employer, waiting for their assignment to be revealed. Tifa wanted to barf on the floor below. She glanced at her side, without moving her head, and grimaced at the object of her disgust: Reno. Why on earth was Reno on this assignment too? The guy kept on flirting with her every chance she got.

"Here is the situation," Shinra began. "By now, everyone must be familiar with the Mafia, am I right?"

Nods.

"Good...then let's get to the point."

Rude, who stood behind Shinra, snatched a stack of papers and passed them out.

"The owner of this nightclub and I have made an agreement, so I can only tell you the basic facts...so there will be some loose ends. There is a section of the Mafia called the Blue Lotus; it has been around for eight years. Their function in the Mafia is the illegal technology in the United States of America. Five years ago, the club owner and his sister were forced to flee from their home in South Africa, to hide from the Blue Lotus. He was twenty-one, and his sister was only six. Now, it seems that this group has finally caught up with the two."

"That sucks," Yuffie whispered.

"Incidentally, their leader is a man by the name of Herman Ferris Gerald, our target. If you'll turn the page, I have provided as picture of him."

"Ewww!" Yuffie cried.

The picture showed the face a bald man with a huge mole on his nose. Ewwww was right.

"This is a bodyguard/hit job," Shinra declared.

"_I already knew that!" _Tifa mentally screamed.

"We have the full cooperation of the owner. He knows the risks. However, we are to keep the young girl out of danger. Her brother requested it so."

Shinra turned to Rude and said, "Show him in."

Rude walked over to the door and told the owner that it was time to come in. Yuffie waited patiently for Tifa's reaction. As Cloud Strife walked inside his office, Tifa stared at him with horror and disbelief.

"Oh, hi again," Cloud teased.

Tifa turned and saw that Yuffie, her best friend, was snickering at her. The little wench knew who Tifa was dancing with. Yuffie knew! And so did that jerk! Tifa had a mind to strangle Yuffie and Cloud for letting her make a fool of herself. **Then**, she would go shoot herself...

-----------

See you later...


	6. Aftermath and Stormy Waters

School is a nightmare.

I could not write anything.

What a waste of time.

----------

Tifa and Yuffie replenished their makeup in front of the bathroom mirror. Tifa gritted her teeth in anger, and Yuffie was still giggling at her friend's humiliation.

"That jerk!" Tifa yelled. "That lying, conniving jerk!"

"But you have to admit it," Yuffie replied. "It was hilarious! You should've seen the look on your face..."

Tifa gave her best friend the look of death, and Yuffie closed her mouth.

"Why didn't you tell me!" Tifa screamed.

"Because of love irony."

Tifa folded her arms and began to pout. Yuffie stifled a chortle.

"Hey," Yuffie said. "Let's eavesdrop on the boss and the club owner. Maybe you can get some dirt on owner and blackmail him for revenge!"

"I won't stoop to **his **level," Tifa growled.

----------

"I am glad that you have decided to cooperate with us, Mr. Strife," Shinra said.

"It's nothing. I would do anything to see **them** taken down...after what they've done..."

Mr. Shinra stared at Cloud in emotional sympathy.

"I feel sorry for the loss of your father," Shinra replied. "He was a good man."

Shinra put a supportive hand on Cloud's shoulder.

"Thank you, sir."

"So," Shinra continued, "there are a few things that you must do to keep yourself safer. First of all, you must not be in this building when it switches to the nightclub."

"I understand. Cid and Barret can hold down the fort."

"Next, your sister, Marlene, must be accompanied or secretly watched by one of my agents at all times. Do whatever my agents tell you."

Cloud nodded in complaisance.

"Finally, you have to cancel all of you dance classes with the youth."

Suddenly, it seemed as if the world had stopped. Cloud stared at Mr. Shinra in shock.

"Excuse me?" Cloud asked. "What did you say?"

----------

"It doesn't feel right listening in on their conversation," Tifa whispered.

"Shut up," Reno retorted. "I think there's going to be an argument."

"What are you even doing here?" Yuffie asked.

----------

"Mr. Strife, please be reasonable..."

"I can't cancel their class," Cloud replied.

Shinra rubbed his head in frustration.

"I understand that you need a great deal of money to support your bills and your sister," Shrinra said, "but our organization will support you until..."

"My youth classes are non-profit, Mr. Shinra."

"Then you have nothing to lose!" Shrinra shouted.

"I don't," Cloud shot back. "But my students do."

Cloud stormed towards the office door in a huff. The spies at the door shuttered when they realized that he was coming towards them.

"Where are you going?" Shinra asked.

"We no longer have any business to discuss," Cloud replied.

"Mr. Strife...Cloud..."

Cloud turned to Mr. Shinra with a stern look in his eyes.

"If I have to sacrifice my classes, then I cannot cooperate with you."

"But you and your sister are in danger!"

"Then," Cloud replied, "I suggest that you figure out how to work around my schedule."

"If your father were here right now..." Shinra began.

"...he would agree with me," Cloud finished.

Cloud hand was wrapped around the doorknob. Tifa, Yuffie, and Reno panicked and backed away from the door, ready to make a quick getaway before being discovered. The door opened slightly ajar from the inside.

"Wait."

Cloud turned back to Mr. Shinra, shut the door, and gave his full attention. The three spies sighed in relief.

"Alright," said Mr. Shinra, "I won't force you to cancel the classes. But only on one condition..."

----------

The whole party of assassins sat at the bar, waiting for their next mission to begin. The guilty eavesdroppers sat next to each other, with Yuffie specifically sitting in the middle...

"If you ask me," Reno began, "that club owner guy has some issues. What is so important about a stupid dance class anyhow? The students probably don't want to be there..."

"Where you all peeping on another's conversation?"

Somehow, Vincent felt free to join in on the conversation. Yuffie flashed him a glare that said: Stay out of this or die! Vincent paid no heed to her.

"Well," Reno said, "Don't you agree, Tifa?

Reno slid his arm around Tifa and rested his hand on her shoulder. Tifa swiftly threw the unwelcome arm off in disgust.

She vacillated on her opinions. Sure, it **was **strange that Cloud valued his dance classes so much. Maybe, the classes held another meaning besides dancing. If that was true, then what was the gist? Nevertheless, Tifa let her anger distort her judgment.

"Yeah," she replied, "he really does have a problem...but, I have a problem."

"What do you mean?" Yuffie asked.

"What is the press going to say when they find out that I, a supermodel, am suddenly staying in a man's house!"

---------

Meanwhile, three of five men, clad in black, rummaged through Tifa's house, plundering all of her clothes, makeup, jewelry, weapons, ammunition and anything else important.

One of the three men gathered Tifa's underwear in a suitcase. He glanced around to see if any of the other men were watching and then began to play around with a bra. Another man glanced over and noticed. He walked behind the man and slammed his fist on the man's head.

"You pervert!" he yelled. "Quit fooling around and get a move on it!"

The third watched from afar and snickered as he worked. Suddenly, a radio went off in his pocket. He slid it out and pushed a button.

"Talk to me," he commanded.

A voice from the radio declared, "All explosives are go. We are standing by."

"Roger that."

The third man turned off his talk radio and put it back to his pocket.

"Hey guys," he shouted. "We gotta hurry up; they're ready."

---------

Together, the five men loaded the several suitcases into the back of a van.

"Miss Lockhart sure has a lot of stuff," a man declared. "This took longer than we thought."

"She's a freaking supermodel," another man said. "What do you expect?"

"That's the last suitcase!" another said. "Hallelujah!"

Quickly shutting the back door, they rushed into the van and drove off as quickly as they could. Again, the night was silent; it was a new moon. It was pitch black and silent, with the exception of a grasshopper's song. Then, without warning, the once proud residence of Tifa Lockhart burst into devastating flames and lighted the black sky in crimson. Splintered wood flew in the air and tumbled to the streets below. One man looked rolled down a window of the van and looked at their handiwork.

"Burn, baby! Burn!"

---------

Yuffie stood near a wall and watched the many people jive on the floor into the wee hours of the morning. She felt a sudden jolt in her body, and she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Ick!" she cried.

Vincent noticed and instinctively walked over to her. With her saying anything, he put his jacket around her.

"What's that for?" Yuffie asked.

"You looked cold."

A pink blush appeared on Yuffie's face.

"I'm fine," Yuffie replied. "I just felt a shiver up my spine...that's all."

"Is something bothering you?" Vincent asked.

"Just a bad feeling."

"Can I have my jacket back then?" he asked.

Yuffie smiled at him and replied, "NO!"

Vincent chuckled to himself and leaned against the wall. Yuffie did the same.

"So," Yuffie said. "Is this peace temporary or what?"

"Huh?"

"We're always fighting," Yuffie stated.

Vincent didn't know how to answer.

"_Should I tell her the truth?" _he asked himself.

He gazed at her as she watched the movement around them. She looked so cute with her hair pulled back by decorative pins. Her smile was infectious.

"Yuffie?"

"Yeah?" she responded.

"There's something... I've wanted to tell you... for a long time," Vincent said nervously.

Yuffie stood upright and gave him her full attention.

"Okay, I'm listening."

Vincent took a deep, long breathe to calm down.

"Yuffie..."

"Yes?"

Vincent stopped leaning on the wall and cleared his throat. Yuffie waited patiently. She knew that this was something big.

"Yuffie..."

"You've said my name three times already," she retorted. "Stop beating around the bush."

Vincent grabbed Yuffie's arm and stared into her eyes. The fierce look in his eyes frightened Yuffie.

"V...Vincent!" she stammered.

"Yuffie, I..."

Reno came up and smacked Vincent on the back.

"What the heck are you doing, grabbing Yuffie like that!" Reno shouted. "Are you alright, Yuffie?"

A vein popped in Vincent's neck. He swerved around, growling like a wolf, and lunged toward Reno.

"You fool!" he yelled.

Out of sheer wisdom, Reno found it sensible to turn around and run in the opposite direction. Vincent pursued him with animalistic fury, and Yuffie was left alone again.

"Ummm, I guess he'll tell me later," Yuffie said to herself.

---------

Tifa walked back down the hall to the office, hastily. It was clear, from her walk and the look in her eyes, that she was not a happy person. Tifa spotted the door and reached for the knob. The door opened, without her doing, and Cloud stepped out. They made eye contact for a moment, and Tifa turned up her nose at him. Cloud chuckled to himself and passed her.

"Yes, Miss Lockhart," Mr. Shinra greeted her. "What can I do for you?"

"Living under the same roof with this man is going to be a problem for me," she replied.

"Afraid that the press will have a field day?"

Tifa nodded. Good, so Mr. Shinra understood how she felt! She hoped desperately that With luck, Mr. Shinra would probably let her stay at her own house and away from **his **house. The farther away she was from him, the better.

"Don't worry, Miss Lockhart," Shinra said. "That's already been taken care of."

"What do you mean 'that's already been taken care of'?"

----------

Sorry for long the long update time. The haiku at the beginning explains everything.


	7. All Men Are the Same

Just making up for the lost time...

* * *

"Tifa, are you okay? Yuffie asked. "Tifa?"

Yuffie had her arms wrapped around her friend in the back seat of the limousine. They were on their way to the nexthouse they would ever live in. Tifa's brain was in utter shock. Tonight had been the worst night of her life; being made to look like a fool didn't help either. Wouldn't you be upset too if your house was blown up?

"Shinra, how could you do this to me?" Tifa mumbled.

Yuffie gave up and let go of Tifa. She felt empathy for Tifa was unable to do anything.

"Look on the bright side," Yuffie whispered. "You're going to be out of town now, and the newspapers will be too occupied with your house blowing up and stuff. Everyone thinks that someone's trying to kill you! You can stay in the guy's house without worrying about the paparazzi! They won't have a clue were you are, and they won't give a darn!"

"I didn't want to be in that house in the first place.

"You're still mad at him, aren't you?" Yuffie replied.

"Of course I'm still mad!" Tifa screamed. "There I was, minding my own business, when this schmuck comes waltzing up to me...then I turn into a lovesick schoolgirl, only to get turned on my ear and dropped on my..."

"Don't blame him, Tifa," Yuffie interrupted.

Tifa stared at her best friend in exasperation. Don't blame him? Don't blame him! Why the heck couldn't she blame him. He had made her look like a complete idiot, and all Yuffie could say was 'don't blame him!'

"The only reason he didn't tell you the truth...was because Shinra told him not to. I listened in on their conversation a little bit more without you and..."

"But that doesn't make any sense," Tifa said. "Why was I the only one who didn't know?"

"It beats me. I didn't stay long enough to find out."

---------

It was a large estate, stating the owner's wealth loud and clear. The inside of the house was simple, with no excess decoration, yet elegant, because of its display.

"_Maybe," _thought Tifa, _"This won't be so bad."_

Her thoughts were interrupted abruptly by no other than the annoying Reno.

"I can't believe that this guy lives in a different state from his job," he said.

"It's only separated by from Manhattan by the Lincoln Tunnel," Yuffie retorted. "It's not like its a hundred miles away."

In walked Cloud Strife, who was followed by Barret and three maids. Barret bowed and the maids curtseyed.

"Alright then," Cloud began. "These four will take you to your rooms."

The four 'bodyguards' stood up, ready to see their living quarters. Reno immediately eyed a well-prortioned, brunette maid and beckoned her to take him to his room. Tifa opened her mouth to warn the maid, but they were already on their way.

"Reno," Tifa grumbled. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Miss Lockhart, isn't it?" Barret asked. "Are ya ready to see your room?"

Tifa followed Barret down a long hall. He stopped in front a double door entrance and opened it to Tifa's room. Tifa gasped at the sight; the room suited her perfectly. Light colors, vintage style drawers, walk in closet...who could ask for more?

"Like what you see, miss?"

All Tifa could do was nod. Barret led her to the walk in closet, and Tifa saw that all of her clothes and accessories were there.

"Mr. Strife specifically asked that your things would be brought to you," Barret declared. "Mr. Shinra was going to blow it all to Venus."

Maybe she could forgive Cloud just this once. Maybe...

"How do you know about Shinra?" Tifa asked.

"The maids and I work for the Genova and Shinra Cooperation. Not Mr. Strife. But I am thinking about a career change..."

They both laughed in unison. Barret began to walk out of the suite.

"If you need anything, give me a shout," Barret yelled.

----------

Yuffie jumped her new bed, barefoot, like a little boy who refused to sleep. She let her body land on the soft mattress and giggled happily.

"I see that you enjoy your bed," a maid said.

"It's so soft!" Yuffie cooed. "I love it."

The maid smiled at Yuffie's antics and left the room without a word. Yuffie sat up, hugging her bended legs. She rested her chin on her knees.

"I wonder what Vincent was trying to tell me," she mumbled to herself. "It seemed really important."

She stretched out on her back, despite her evening wear, and stared at the ceiling.

"He's so unpredictable these days," Yuffie thought aloud. "It's like I don't know him anymore."

----------

Vincent looked through the clothes that his company had provided him. Business suits...men's blouses...lounging clothes...all boring! Vincent walked out of the closet and grabbed a wine bottle that he saw on a table. He snatched the bottle opener and popped off the cork.

"Why did Reno have to come at that very second!" he growled. "I'll get that idiot if it's the last thing I do."

He filled a glass half way with wine and took a good, long swig. If it weren't for the fact that he was on the job, Vincent would not have gone through the night being sober.

"This wine has a great year. What a good choice..."

He casually strolled over to the window in his room and scanned the front garden. The lights were on everywhere.

----------

Tifa heard a knock at her door as she sat, rummaged through her 'treasures' in the closet. She got up and quickly made her way to the door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Probably the last person you want to see right now," a voice replied.

Tifa opened the door, and Cloud stood in front of her, hoping for forgiveness.

"Hey," Tifa said in gleeful sarcasm. "You're right! Come on in!"

She swiftly turned around, and her long, undone hair followed like a silk scarf. Cloud hesitantly stepped into the room after her.

"So, Mr. Strife," Tifa said. "Is there anything you need?"

"I'd rather you call me 'Cloud'."

Tifa started hanging her clothes without answering him.

"Listen," Cloud began. "I know that I was dishonest to you when we first met..."

"That's an understatement," Tifa interrupted.

"Maybe it is...but for what it's worth, I'm sorry. I don't usually act like that towards women."

"You could have fooled me," Tifa replied. "Did you sit near me on purpose?"

"No," he replied, "that was an accident. I didn't recognize you from behind when I walked to the bar."

Tifa stopped organizing her clothes and listened.

"When we noticed each other... I thought that it would have been rude to ignore you. So, I my plan was to just acknowledge you, have my drink, and leave...but, my testosterone got the better of me..."

Tifa laughed thoughtfully. Deep down, men were all the same. Adorably pathetic and sometimes lustful. Some hid it well in their minds, while others were well...like Reno...

"It takes courage to admit something like that," Tifa replied.

"Why?"

"Because men stake their pride on not being _physically_ in the wrong."

Tifa faced Cloud with a stern face. He had no clue what to expect from her. Then, with lightening quick accuracy, she took her hand and slapped him across his face! Cloud felt his cheek burn violently, and he gazed at Tifa in pure shock.

"Alright," Tifa said, "Now I'll forgive you."

Tifa leaned forward and soothed the burning cheek with a kiss.

----------

That's it for now! Goodbye!


	8. An Interesting Breakfast

And the story goes on!

----------

"It's nice of you to wake me up so early," Tifa said sarcastically.

"Sorry, m'am," Barret replied. "Mr. Shinra's orders."

"Shinra this! Shrinra that! I'm sick of that old man!"

Barret nearly peed himself laughing. They turned a corner down the hall and stood at another double door. Barret rapped on the door and a little girl's voice came through, beckoning them to come in.

"The lady speaks," Barret said.

The room was larger than Tifa's, much to her dismay.

"This is Cloud's room," Tifa mumbled. "It seems strange to make a fashion diva stay in a smaller room the host...even if I'm not a guest..."

"No, this is Marlene's room," Barret corrected. "Cloud's room is twice a large."

Tifa stared at Barret incredulously and stepped forward.

"This isn't a room," Tifa declared. "This is a freaking apartment! This is too much for a girl in the seventh grade."

"Not this girl," Barret replied.

They walked through a small living room and ended up in... A dining room?

"The kid has a dining room?"

Cloud and Marlene ate breakfast at the table. As soon as Marlene heard the word 'kid', she looked Tifa and scowled. Barret leaned close to Tifa.

"Don't call her a kid," Barret whispered. "Her mother told her that a kid was actually a billy goat, and now it makes her mad when you call her that!"

"The **child **has a dining room..." Tifa quickly said.

Marlene stopped scowling and smiled. Tifa breathed heavily in belief. Barret stole away from the room, leaving all three of them alone.

"Sit down and eat," Cloud commanded.

Tifa pulled up a chair and joined them. Marlene offered Tifa the oatmeal, and she took the ladle.

"So," Tifa began, "why am I here? Is something wrong?"

No one answered her at the table. Cloud simply took a sip of his coffee, while Marlene stared at Tifa with avid interest. Confused, Tifa spooned oatmeal into a bowl and reached for the nearby cream.

"Marlene," Cloud scolded. "It's not polite to stare at people."

Marlene ignored Cloud and continued her fixed gaze on Tifa.

"Hi," she said cheerfully. "What's your name?"

"Uh...Tifa Lockhart..."

"Tifa Lockhart!" Marlene screamed. "You mean the model!"

Tifa nodded her head nervously. Marlene quickly got out of her seat and dashed off to her room.

"I have I picture of you from a magazine," the girl shouted. "I'll get it so you can sign it."

Marlene poked her head into the room and scowled at Cloud.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me, Cloud! I'm wearing pajamas! My hair's messy! I look awful! You're mean, Cloud!"

And Marlene was gone. Cloud put his hand over his face in embarrassment.

"Sorry," Cloud said. "She must have stolen a sip of my coffee when I went to the bathroom. She has a problem with caffeine...but it still won't stop her..."

"What am I hear for?" Tifa interrupted.

"Don't be so impatient," Cloud replied. "Enjoy breakfast. If I know Marlene well enough, she's trying to dress herself up for you now. You'll get a moment's peace."

"Am I here for nothing? If so, I'm leaving."

"No, you're needed. But first...enjoy breakfast."

"My job here is not to compliment the chef!" Tifa retorted.

"Yeash," said Cloud. "No wonder you look so tense in your pictures..."

"My side job has nothing to do with now," Tifa shot back. "And I don't look tense."

Cloud took a long swig of his coffee. Tifa heaved spoonfuls of oatmeal in her mouth.

"Yes you do," Cloud replied.

"Are you trying to piss me off again?" Tifa asked.

"No, I'm trying to understand you."

"My life is none of your business!"

"If we're going to live under the same roof, we might as well get to know each other," Cloud replied.

"What do you know, Mister Club Owner!" Tifa shouted.

"Actually, the club owner thing is a side job," Cloud said. "I'm really a dance instructor. That's how I can tell that you are tense in the picture."

Tifa sighed in defeat. This man was uniquely different from any other.

"If you still don't agree with me," Cloud continued, "I'll prove it to you tonight."

"Whatever, I'm beyond the point of protest."

"Good," Cloud said. "Then it's time to discuss why you're here."

Tifa nearly fell out of her chair crying.

----------

"What we doing in the storage again?" Yuffie asked. "And why we moving out boxes!"

Tifa handed a box to Reno, and he walked out of the room to the second storage room.

"We have to clear out the basement for Mr. Strife's dance class," Tifa replied. "He's not allowed to be out of the house after 8 pm, and the class ends at nine."

Tifa managed get a hold of a heavy box and dragged it outside of the room. She took a quick glance at her watch.

"I'll be right back, Yuffie," Tifa said. "I'm going to check on Cloud."

Vincent walked past Tifa as she left. He entered the storage room saw that Yuffie was alone.

"So," he said slyly. "The little girl is all by her self."

"Shut up, Vinnie," Yuffie growled.

Yuffie set up a tall ladder and climbed up to get another box.

"I hate it when you treat me like a kid," Yuffe said.

"That's because you act like a kid," Vincent replied.

Yuffie wanted to insult him back, but she kept her mouth shut. She threw a small box down for Vincent to catch.

"Maybe I do act like a kid," Yuffie whispered.

"I was only joking," Vincent said nervously.

"It doesn't matter...I'm overly hyper...I get mad easily...I stick my tongue out to people hate...and I'm not graceful. I can't really complain..."

Yuffie began to step down from the ladder. Vincent walked forward and kicked the bottom of the ladder, causing it to tip forward. Yuffie lost her balance and fell into Vincent's arms bridal style!

"What are you doing?!" Yuffie yelled.

"Then I shall treat you like an adult from now on," Vincent whispered.

Her anger subsided. Yuffie stared at Vincent in confusion and then smiled in understanding. As if by sheer bad luck, Reno walked into the storage room at that moment.

"Hey!" Reno shouted. "How many more boxes are left?"

----------

Until next time...


	9. Memoirs of an Eccentric Philosopher

A black BMW pulled up in the driveway of the Strife Manor. Cloud stepped out of the car and was immediately embraced by the cool, winter air. It did not snow on the plains South Africa, but it felt like Christmastime anyhow...in a twisted sort of way.

Marlene was at a party with her friends, celebrating the end of school for at least 3 weeks. Cloud knew that as soon as she saw him, Marlene would run into her arms, for they had not seen each other in three months. A dance competition had stolen him away. Cloud chuckled to himself as he entered the house, carrying three boxes, but to his surprise, the butler was not there to greet him.

"Jerad?" Cloud said aloud. "Mum? Dad?"

Cloud placed the presents on a table and walked through the silent halls. The sound that could be heard was the clicking of his shoes on the porcelain floors.

"Hello? Anyone?"

At the corner of the hall, Cloud noticed that the wall was stained and spots. As he advanced closer, the color of the 'stains' became clear. Carmine red and bullet holes.

He ran and turned the corner to see a maid, lying in her own pool of blood. Her eyes were like glass; they had no life to them. Cloud eyes widened in horror. He stampeded through the halls, finding body after body: maids, the housekeeper, menservants, and the second butler, Benson.

"What the hell is going on?" Cloud stammered.

Cloud opened a door, giving way to a guest room.

"Is anyone here!"

The bed dress moved slightly. Cloud walked over to the bed, bent down cautiously, and lifted the bed dress up. A young maid-in-training, who lay underneath the bed, curled herself into a ball.

"It's okay, Heather," Cloud said. "It's only me."

As soon Heather recognized his voice, she scrambled from underneath the bed to get to him. Heather flung her arms around Cloud and began to sob.

"What the hell happened here?" Cloud asked.

Heather gave out frightened wail, and tears poured out of her eyes. Cloud grabbed her shoulders, and gave her a quick jolt.

"Heather, what happened!"

She gasped for breathe and wiped her face.

"They... came... so suddenly," she stammered. "Several... armed men. Papa made me hide..."

"Where are mother and father?"

"I don't know."

Cloud quickly got Heather to her feet.

"Can you keep calm? There are dead bodies everywhere."

Heather turned pale when she heard 'dead bodies'. She sniffled and then nodded.

"I have to see what happened to Papa."

----------

Cloud found the hidden pistol in his nightstand drawer. He loaded the gun and put extra rounds in his pocket.

"Make sure to stay behind me," he commanded.

Heather said nothing. Cloud cautiously opened his door and peered at each side. He stepped outside and waved for Heather to follow. The quickly ran through the walls, opening doors to rooms, and finding nothing but death and destruction. Heather shuddered at every grotesque scene, but she kept a determined look on her face.

"Why is this happening?" she whispered.

Cloud did not want to answer. As much he wanted to keep it out of his head, he knew. It was the only logical reason.

"Cloud?"

Cloud silenced her with a gesture of the hand. They were at the door of the Master Strife's study, which was slightly open. Cloud peeked around the door, and Heather bravely followed suit. The silent ticking of a clock haunted the room. Cloud ventured forth into his father's study, with the maid-in-training close behind. Heather tugged at Cloud's sweater and pointed at a desk. A foot poked from beside the desk. Cloud made his way towards the desk found the late Jerad, the head butler and Heather's father. Heather walked to the desk to see who it was.

"Don't come here!" Cloud shouted.

It was too late. Heather went into shock when she saw her dead father. She opened her mouth to cry out or scream, but nothing came out. Heather became weak at the knees and fell forward. Cloud caught her in his arms, and she fainted. He spotted the couch at the other end of the room laid Heather down to rest.

Cloud went on alone into the second part of the study, beyond another door. A pool table, torn with bullets, lay on its side, with all of the balls scattered on the floor. The room was peppered by holes. Cloud saw a few spots of blood on the floor. Almost panicking, Cloud rushed the last section of the study.

There, Mr. and Mrs. Strife lay in each others arms. Besides the large pool of blood of red underneath them, they looked peaceful together. There was no fear, hatred, or sadness on their face. Just peace. But Cloud was not prepared to see it.

The whole world came crashing down. The pistol dropped out of Cloud's hand, and he fell to his knees. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he covered his mouth, as if he was about to throw up. Cloud looked around the room for relief and noticed a white sheet of paper on the ground. He crawled to it, and picked it up. It read:

_It was a shame that you weren't here to die with your parents. Do not despair, dear children; you will join them soon enough._

The note was signed with a simple, navy blue spade symbol. As he recognized the emblem, Cloud was filled with rage. He rose up and noticed a chair at the end of the room. He grabbed the chair and he flung it at the window. The glass splintered and made a sickening crunch.

----------

"What's with you all the sudden?" Tifa asked. "You haven't said a word for twenty minutes. Ran out of things to say?"

Cloud came back to earth from his flashback. Tifa was driving the car through the Lincoln Tunnel, back to Manhattan.

"Did you say something?" Cloud whispered innocently.

"Are you ignoring me!"

"No...I was deep in thought."

"Thinking about what?" Tifa asked.

Tifa asked in a curt, so Cloud hesitated for an answer.

"Just a memory," Cloud answered. "A previous chapter in my life."

"Whatever," Tifa groaned. "I thought we were supposed to 'get to know each other', Mister Know-It-All."

"It's a memory that I share with few people," Cloud retorted. "You're not that close to me."

"Did I hit a sore spot?" she teased.

"Just drop it!" Cloud growled. "You don't know anything!"

Tifa was taken aback by his outburst. She turned away, unsure of what to say next, and paid more attention to the road.

"I'm sorry," Cloud whispered. "It's not a memory... that I like to think about at all."

Tifa took a deep breathe and allowed herself to look at her charge.

"I know that look," Tifa declared.

Cloud was staring out the window. He pretended not to hear.

"It's when you're feeling down, and you want the whole world to just disappear."

The car speed out of the Lincoln tunnel and into the city.

"You need cheesecake," Tifa declared.

"Huh?"

----------

Cloud stared down at his cake as if it were the Holy Grail. Instead of gobbling it up like Tifa, he slowly took bite after bite.

"What's the nibbling, she-lady?" Tifa exclaimed. "Do you need to be spoon-fed or something."

Cloud playfully leaned forward and opened his mouth.

"I was only joking."

"I'm not," Cloud replied.

"Tell me, Cloud," Tifa said. "Were you dropped on your head as a baby?"

"Probably. I want my cheesecake now, please."

"You're back to normal now," Tifa said. "And no! You can feed yourself! If I were your mom or girlfriend, then I'd consider it! But I'm not! Weren't you all sad and forlorn a half hour ago?"

"You may know how to unwind, Miss Lockhart," Cloud said, "but you truly have no spontaneity in your life. No wonder you're so tense. Besides, your personality cheers me up quickly."

"Has anyone ever told you that you are an idiot?" Tifa asked.

"Yes," Cloud replied, "but they were wrong. I am a radical philosopher."

"I thought you were a dance instructor/ club owner."

"In order to become a serious dancer, you must become a philosopher. You end up thinking differently. My cheesecake, s'il vous plait."

Tifa glared at him, hoping that Cloud would take a hint, but he did not back down.

"No," she said gruffly.

"Stick in the mud."

"No!"

"Grandma."

"HECK NO!"

"I daaaaaare you..."

Tifa gave in and spooned cheesecake into his mouth. People were staring at them. People who recognized her.

"Okay!" she said. "You happy?"

"I never said just one bite," Cloud answered.

"People are looking at us! They know who I am! I'm a supermodel, if you've forgotten."

"That's another problem that you have," Cloud declared. "You care too much about what people think of you. Now...I want another bite now."

"Are you trying to make me kill you?" Tifa snarled. "You know I can do it..."

"Whether you want to murder me or not is entirely up to you. Cheesecake!"

"I hate you," Tifa mumbled.

Secretly, she **was** enjoying this... a little. Nevertheless, people were watching.

"If I feed you feed you five more bites, will you stop acting like a child?" Tifa whispered.

"Alright, Miss Lockhart."

Shinra was going to pay for this...

----------

Yes, I know. Cloud is a total weirdo in the fanfic...


	10. He's My Teacher?

Warning: This chapter contains ridiculous moments and a possibly psychotic Cloud Strife. Do not...I repeat...do no take this chapter seriously.

And now for something completely different...

----------

Yuffie sat on a stone bench overlooking a huge, park-like garden. The beauty of the scenery could not calm her down, though...Tifa and Cloud went out alone...

"What's the matter?" Vincent asked. "You look like you've aged at least ten years."

"You'd better be messing with me, Vincent," Yuffie replied.

Vincent sat down next to Yuffie and stared at the 'park'.

"Well, what's bothering you?"

"Tifa went into the city with Cloud," she replied. "Why shouldn't I be worried?"

"Didn't they settle on a truce?" asked Vincent.

"You know how well Tifa is with truces, Vinnie. And after watching Cloud for a while, I've realized that he has a few loose screws in his head. She'll kill him."

Vincent doubled over laughing.

"Yeah, he **is **a little bit strange."

"A little!" Yuffie cried. "He's the British version of Bill Cosby! He's a walking Twilight Zone!"

This only Vincent laugh harder.

"I'm really worried," Yuffie whined.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Yufs," Vincent said. "Cloud will be just fine..."

"I was talking about Tifa. She'll lose her mind!"

"Relax, Yuffie," Vincent replied soothingly. "I'm sure that they are getting alone swimmingly..."

----------

"Why are we even going to your nightclub?" Tifa muttered. "Your dance class is gonna be at home."

"We're supposed to meet someone there," Cloud replied. "Now come on. We have a schedule to keep, and the car is five blocks away."

It was a mixed feeling being jostled in the crowded streets of New York. The disgust a smelling everyone's body odor filled your nostrils...and yet, it was exciting all the same. A nightmare and yet one exciting ride...yes!

Tifa, however, was the most miserable woman in the world. As if being with the client from hell wasn't enough...

"I can't believe you made me do that in a public restaurant," Tifa mumbled.

"I never forced you to do it," said Cloud. "That was entirely your decision. I simply gave you a few nudges."

"Well, what else was I supposed to do!" she yelled.

"All you had to do was cream me with my cheesecake or sling shot a piece with your fork. Or least something like that."

"Are you nuts?" Tifa asked. "Not in someone's restaurant. The press would have a field day. Imagine the headlines: Famous Model Creams Retarded Nightclub Owner!"

Cloud scratched the back of his head and replied, "As I already stated: You care too much about what other people think."

Tifa scowled wildly at him.

"Stop frowning, my dear," Cloud scolded. "You're ruining your beautiful face."

"You're not my dad!"

----------

Two blocks to go...Tifa prayed for deliverance.

"I want to you to witness my dance class today," Cloud said. "I think you'll really need it."

"And why the hell would I do that?" Tifa asked. "I have no interest in dancing."

"It will help you break you tenseness."

"I keep on telling you, moron!" Tifa screamed. "I'm not tense."

"Then why do you become angry so easily?" Cloud asked.

"Because you're really good at pissing me off!"

Cloud smiled in amusement. At first, he snickered, but then it evolved into a full on laugh.

"What's so funny!" Tifa shouted.

"It's just...that...I read your resume...from Shinra...all of your previous partners...they all have said...the same thing..."

"Said what?"

"For starters," Cloud began, "They say that you are crude, you have anger issues, you revel over the pain of your victims, and you're too professional for comfort. And they also think that you are too tense."

"You jerk!" Tifa cried. "That's not true at all. I'll bet you made that all up..."

"No I didn't," Cloud said defensively. "I read their reports as clear as day. If you don't believe me, Mr. Shinra gave me copies of your resume and the reports. When we go home, I'll show you."

The profanity flowed out of Tifa's mouth like water. Cloud mentally stepped back in surprise.

"Do you kiss your loved ones with that same mouth of yours?" Cloud asked teasingly.

That hit the spot. Tifa picked up left her foot and aimed it, intending to hit Cloud in the groin. And the unthinkable happened. Cloud quickly reached forward and grabbed Tifa's ankle, stopping the kick to a halt. He walked around her, almost clockwise, until her leg was behind her. Cloud stepped forward, and Tifa was forced to hop forward on her free leg. To her horror, Cloud wheeled Tifa around, and casually strolled through the streets, with her struggling forward in front of him! Tifa cursed all the more.

"My, my, my," Cloud said. "Someone has quite the potty mouth."

People stopped and stared as poor Tifa was forced to travel on her one foot.

"Excuse me," said Cloud. "Coming through. Woman on a rampage..."

"Let me go!" Tifa cried. "Let go of me, NOW!"

Cloud paid her no heed. He continued their 'walk' down the streets. Side walkers got out of the way to gaze at the spectacle. Some pointed and laughed. Others took pictures.

"I'm gonna kill you, Cloud! I'm gonna freaking kill you!"

"Boohoo, poor me," Cloud replied.

----------

The car pulled up to the closed Le Chaud. Outside of the car, you could hear Tifa yelling and cursing up a storm, assaulting the passerby's ears. Cloud got out of car as if nothing was wrong.

"Get back here, you moron! I'm not through with you!"

"Calm yourself down, Miss Lockhart," Cloud said coolly. "We're meeting someone."

Tifa stepped out of the vehicle, growling like an animal of prey. She gave Cloud the look of death and walked towards the building.

"Oh," Cloud mocked. "Scary chick..."

"You know," Tifa snarled, "I thought you were a normal, nice guy when we first met. But boy did you prove me wrong!"

"Miss Lockhart! That hurts."

Cloud opened the door for her, but Tifa did not even look him in the eye. Then, she gasped. Standing in front of her was Mr. Shinra himself.

"Mr. Shinra!" Tifa cooed. "I'm so glad to see you...I must request that you take me off this mission."

Shinra walked past her to Cloud.

"I see that you went a little too hard on her, Cloud," Shinra said. "You must know that she is temperamental."

Cloud shook his head and replied, "It's alright. I can manage her. I just had to see what I was working with."

"What are you even talking about?" Tifa inquired.

"I need get into my office," Cloud declared. "There are things that I need for my class. Besides, you both have a lot to talk about..."

Cloud walked away without anything else to say.

"Is there something I don't know?" Tifa asked.

"Actually, there are very many things you do not know," said Shinra.

"Well, why have you kept me in the dark!"

"As he said, Shinra answered, "He needed to see what he was working with."

"And what the hell does that mean?"

Shinra cleared his throat and prepared for a long story.

"Cloud's father, the late Jonathan Strife, was the former CEO of Shinra-Genova, and a dear friend of mine."

"And that matters because..."

"To Jonathan's chagrin, Cloud became a part of the company, as requested by the board of directors. In time...Cloud ended up as one of the youngest assassins to every to enter the field...three years before you did in fact"

Tifa broke into uproarious laughter. What an idea. That nutjob! An assassin? What an idea!

"Hahahahahaha! Good one!"

Shinra handed her a stapled packet.

"What's that?" Tifa asked.

"His resume before he retired," Shinra replied.

Still skeptical, Tifa overlooked the packet, and her mouth dropped.

"If this is true," Tifa said, "then tell me something."

"Yes, Miss Lockhart."

"Why the hell do I have to be around **that thing**!"

"First off all, most of the protection is for Marlene Strife. Cloud can easily handle himself. However, I have been re-evaluating your resume and watching you during practice sessions," Shinra said. "It has become clear to me that you have backed yourself into a corner and are longer advancing to your true potential."

Tifa rubbed the side of her head. Not reaching her potential! Wasn't she doing just fine?

"And what does **he **have to do with this?"

"Cloud was an outstanding piece to the company..."

Cloud came back with a box underneath his arm.

"Almost done?" he asked.

"Just a few more words," Shinra replied.

"But what does Cloud have to do with my 'problem'?" Tifa questioned.

Mr. Shinra put his hand on Tifa's shouler and raised his hand to Cloud.

"Miss Lockhart, meet your new instructor. Make sure not to tell your co-workers. I want it top-secret."

Tifa went pale with terror. Her knees became weak and nearly gave way to her weight. Shinra walked away without a word. Cloud cracked an impish smile.

"Oh God, NO!"

Tifa bolted to catch up with Mr. Shrina, as he headed out the door. A limousine was waiting for him.

"Shinra!" Tifa shrieked. "You can't leave me with him! This guy is a psychopath! He made me spoon-feed his food to him. He 'wheelbarrow led' me for two blocks!"

Shinra sat down in the passenger's seat and acknowledged Tifa.

"I know that Cloud can tend to be dramatic, over-the-top, and eccentric," he said. "But I trust his methods. You are not his first 'student' after all. You'll survive."

"But Mr. Shinra"

"You'll get used to his oddball personality in no time. Don't fret."

Shinra noticed Cloud as he walked out of the building.

"She's all yours, Mr. Strife! I expect results!"

"Yes SIR!" Cloud shouted.

Shrina began to close the door.

"Goodbye, Miss Lockhart."

The door shut, and the limousine sped off. Tifa watched in solemn silence as the car disappeared from view.

"Please come back..." she whimpered.

A hand suddenly perched itself on her shoulder.

"From now on, you will address me Cloud-sensei..."

It would take God himself to drink this cup...

----------

The author has gone crazy...


	11. A Man to Man Talk

"For the tango, you and your partner must be very close together."

The teenaged students, already partnered up, watched as Cloud and Aeris displayed "the proper stance" of the tango.

"First," Cloud continued, "there must be no space between your stomachs or the top of your thighs."

Aeris moved closer to Cloud and pressed herself against him, visualizing his instructions. The pairs eagerly imitated their teachers.

"Boys, place your right hand under your partner's arm. Hold her other arm out with your left hand. Ladies, put your remaining hand on your partner's shoulder."

Henry, a student, cringed when his partner, Juusang, attempted to get closer to him. Juusang pulled him by arms, but he fought back with aggressively. Confused and annoyed, she continued to try to reel Henry in.

"What's the matter with you?" she whispered angrily. "Stomachs and thighs together!"

Tifa sat in a chair, watching the dance class. It was boring to her, watching a bunch of immature children learn fancy footwork. If there were little children, their mistakes would be funny...but as young adults, to Tifa, it was just plain annoying.

Cloud noticed Henry, struggling to get away from Juusang's grasps. Juusang kept on pulling Henry towards her, but by now, she was close to tears. Having glasses on made it more visible.

"Let's get those two separated for today," said Cloud.

Aeris nodded and walked over the couple. She walked between them, and sent Juusang to Cloud. Juusang slowly went to her other teacher, with her head down. She did not even look Cloud in the face. As they quickly positioned themselves in the tango stance, but Juusang continued to avoid eye contact.

"Forget about Henry for now," Cloud demanded. "I don't want any sour attitudes in this class."

Juusang faced her "sensei" and smiled weakly.

"Now boys," Cloud said aloud, "do not get **too** excited. And girls, do not become frightened."

The room was filled snickering and giggles.

"He's talking about you, Danny," said Laylia.

The whole dance class, including the teachers, went into hysterics. Danny freed one of his hands from his partner and playfully nudged a fist on his sister's arm; it was sooooo convenient that she was next to him.

Cloud, still recovering from laughing, said, "The top...ha-ha... of your thighs must be glued together...ha-ha... for perfect balance."

Cloud pulled Juusang closer, as if he was forcefully putting on a winter coat.

"That way," he continued, "this can easily be done."

Juusang held her breathe as her sensei walked forward with her in tow. Suddenly, Cloud pushed up his right leg, and she was instantly up a few feet in the air. Juusang felt her feet touch the floor again, and she back up, unable to figure out what happened. Murmuring and cheering filled the room. Even Tifa found it interesting.

"Ah, Juusang! No fair."

"Yeah, you make it look so easy..."

----------

"That is it for today. Barret will take you back to your school, so go home from there."

The storage room quickly cleared up, with all of the students following after Barret.

"Bye, Cloud-sensei!" Laylia shouted.

Henry walked past Cloud to head out the door, but Cloud put a hand over his shoulder.

"You are not going home yet," Cloud said. "We need to talk."

Resigned, Henry followed Cloud out the door, with Aeris close behind. Tifa, who had nothing else to do, went after them.

They entered the kitchen, and only one person stood at the stove, checking over the hot food. Henry saw Tifa standing in the corner and gasped.

"Isn't that Tifa Lockhart!" he cried.

"She's a look-alike," Cloud replied.

"But she looks exactly like Tifa Lockart, Cloud-sensei."

Cloud pulled on Henry's ear, causing him to yelp.

"She's a look-alike," Cloud repeated sternly.

Henry nodded and shut his mouth.

"How's it coming, Heather?"

Heather tucked half of her bangs behind an ear and turned around to see who was speaking.

"Coming along fine," she answered. "It'll be done in an hour."

"Make sure that you set up dinner for two in my dining room in my suite," Cloud commanded. "This young man and I have to have a man to man talk on his behavior."

"But I didn't"

Cloud silenced Henry with a stop sign hand gesture and a harsh, condemning glare in his eyes. Heather stared back and noticed the expression on his face.

"Uhooooooooh," Heather said childishly. This did not make the young dance student feel any better.

----------

Cloud escorted Aeris back to her red Porsche. She pulled her purse up closer before it could slide off of her arm.

"I know for sure that she is not a look-alike," Aeris said seriously. "Why is she rooming with you?"

"Can you keep a secret, Aeris?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

"So can I."

Aeris scoffed at him in exasperation and shook her head at him in disbelief. She decided not to ask again.

"Are you sure I don't have to stay?" asked Aeris. "I've some input."

Aeris opened her car door and got in.

"Nah, this has to be between two males," Cloud insisted. "I know how to knock some sense into him."

Aeris closed the door and started the engine of the car. She rolled down the window and poked her head out.

"Well," she replied, "Good luck with him."

Cloud patted her shoulder and smiled.

"See you next Monday, Aeris."

Cloud stepped back and the car was gone. He casually strolled back into the estate, whistling 'Moon River'. As soon as he set foot, Tifa was waiting impatiently.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well what?"

"When is my training going to began?"

Cloud shook his head, chuckling, and tried to walk past her.

Tifa reached forward and established a good grip on Cloud's shoulder.

"Don't you ignore me!" she shrieked. "When are we starting?"

Cloud coolly took her hand and freed himself from her grasp.

"When engaging me in a conversation," he scolded, "you must address me by name first."

"I'm not calling you that, Cloud!"

"Who is this Cloud that you speak of?" he said teasingly.

Tifa smacked her head and slid her hand down to her chin. He looked Cloud straight in the eye.

"When are we starting, Cloud-sensei...?" she muttered.

Cloud patted Tifa's head as if she were a dog that just fetched a stick.

"All in good time, Miss Lockhart," he replied. "Relax."

Tifa shoved his hand away and walked off. She began to grumbling something about a stupid, blonde lunatic.

Cloud rubbed his hands together and proceeded to his suite.

"Okay, Henry. Let's talk."

----------

Henry picked at his salad and stared at it as if it were poison.

"Did you tell you parents that you would be coming home late?" asked Cloud.

"My parents won't be home for another three days," Henry replied. "They went on a business trip without me."

"I see."

To distract himself, Henry began to stuff the salad in his mouth.

"So," Cloud began. "It seems that you and Juusang are having a problem. Care to enlighten me?"

Henry averted his eyes to his plate in shame. He began to play with the salad.

"It's not really her," Henry replied. "It's at school."

"Oh."

----------

Meanwhile, Tifa sat with Marlene at the table, waiting for the main course to show up.

"What's the deal with the dance class?" asked Tifa. "Who are all of those teenagers?"

Marlene sipped at her sparkling apple cider.

"They're from Dr. Geneva Public High School," Marlene answered. "They're known as the 'school rejects'. They have detention from now until graduation. The dance class is their detention now."

"They didn't seem so bad in class."

"They were terrible when the class first began!" Marlene retorted. "They kept fooling around on the first day, and they barely even danced on the second."

"But why is Cloud even teaching them? Does even have the license to teach?"

"He earned a license back in South America," Marlene replied. "He's cool."

"But why is he teaching them?"

"Beat's me."

Tifa sipped at her sparkling cider, wishing that it were real champagne.

"And who is this Aeris girl anyway?" Tifa inquired. "Is that Cloud's girlfriend?"

"She wishes," Marlene retorted. "She's our friend."

"Nothing going on between them?"

"Never likely. Cloud already told me that she's not his type...too nice and mellow...he feels as if Aeris is his second sister."

"Lucky for her," Tifa muttered. She took another sip of the cider.

"You don't like my brother?" Marlene questioned.

"You're brother and I don't get along," Tifa replied.

"He's weird; isn't he?" Marlene replied.

Tifa stifled a laugh and nodded.

"Yep, he's a strange one..."

The main course came in the form of a thick soup. Heather and two other 'maids' served it and left the two females alone again.

"I wonder what Cloud and Henry are talking about," Marlene said.

----------

"Juusang," Henry continued, "Isn't exactly what you'd call the hottest female around to most of the guys...it's not that I think she's ugly or anything..."

"Then you shouldn't have a problem practicing the tango with her," Cloud interrupted. "She won't excite you or repulse you."

Cloud blew on the hot spoonful of soup.

"That's not the problem!"

"Then what is the problem?"

Henry leaned back on the chair and sighed in frustration.

"You know the tango stance?" Henry reminded. "With the thighs and stomachs touching?"

"Is something wrong with that?" Cloud asked.

"Hell yeah, there is!" Henry shouted. "If my friends back at school find out that I have the hots for Juusang, I'm screwed!"

Henry covered his mouth with his hand when he realized what he had said. Cloud simply sipped on his soup, and Henry did the same, to avoid talking.

"And you are willing to hurt Juusang's feelings for the approval of your friends?" Cloud inquired.

"YES...I mean no...I don't know..."

"It doesn't matter what the other guys think," Cloud said.

"Easy for you to say," Henry replied. "Is that what they believe on the planet that you're from?"

Cloud gawked at his student in surprise.

"I assure you that I'm an earthling," Cloud said.

"Whatever, Cloud-sensei."

Cloud put his spoon down.

"Listen, Henry, being a true man is learning to stand up for what you believe in and following your heart."

Cloud got up from his chair and walked as quietly as he could to the closed dining room door.

"And it seems..." Cloud whispered.

Cloud swiftly opened the door, and Tifa and Marlene ran away, realizing that they had been discovered.

"...that we have some eavesdroppers!"

----------

This chapter may seem pointless to you, but if you don't remember some of the things that happened...you'll be SORRY!

Mwahahahahahahahahahahahaha...


	12. Eyes on the Horizon Part One

Hahahaha! School will never get in the way of my eduacation...

----------

Deep in sleep, Tifa turned over in her bed and snuggled against the pillow. Slowly, her bedroom opened without a creak. A person advanced toward her without making a sound. Even the deadly model could not hear. She turned over again, and hair fanned out over the pillow. The person towered over the unsuspecting Tifa; a mischievous smirk slowly slithered onto the person's face. Suddenly, ice-cold water squirted all over her face. Tifa woke up with a shriek and quickly sat up in the bed. Her head swayed from side to side in a daze.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty," Cloud said mockingly. "It's seven in the morning!"

Tifa stared at him, stunned, until she saw a sport bottle of water in his hands. Her face twisted in rage, and she leapt at him, intending to strangle him. Cloud quickly grabbed her wrists, but he was unable to keep his balance. Cloud fell on his back, with Tifa still in his grasp.

"Someone's cranky this morning," he teased.

"Anyone would be cranky if they had cold water splashed on their face in the morning, you bas"

"Tsk, tsk. Not nice to swear, Miss Lockhart."

"Why did you do that?!" Tifa yelled. "What did I do to you?!"

"This was for eavesdropping on a private conversation last Saturday," he replied. "Be grateful...I actually thought of putting a fresh fish your bed, but I was lenient. Now we are even."

Tifa gnashed her teeth in anger.

"We **would** be even if you didn't play mind games on me!" Tifa retorted. "What gives you the right to treat people like this?"

"Why are you still on top of me?" Cloud asked calmly. "I've already let go of you."

Tifa looked down and realized that Cloud was telling the truth. To her horror, Tifa saw that she had been hovering over him, on her hands and knees, Tifa's face turned crimson red, and she quickly got off of him. Cloud got on his feet and brushed the wrinkles off of his shirt.

"Meet me at my dining room when you're...more presentable."

Tifa gasped when she realized that she was wearing a very short nightgown. Cloud walked towards the door, whistling tunes on his breathe. Instinctively, he ducked, and a pillow came flying over his head and hit the door.

----------

Yuffie walked along the long hall and spotted Tifa. She ran towards her friend and greeted her.

"Morning, Tifa!" Yuffie shouted cheerfully. "Did you get a good night's sleep?"

Tifa gave Yuffie a side glance that said: "Are you stupid?"

"I'll take that as a no," Yuffie said.

"I slept just fine," Tifa grumbled. "It was the wake up call that was the trip."

"Cloud Strife?" asked Yuffie.

Tifa nodded in dismay and rubbed the side of her head.

"I wonder why he picks on you so much," said Yuffie. "I'm beginning to think that Cloud may actually be insane."

"What took you so long?" Tifa ridiculed.

Tifa put her arm around Yuffie and they laughed together. Yuffie leaned on Tifa for support.

"I just hope he doesn't rub off on me!" Tifa exclaimed. "I do not want to be anything like that psycho."

----------

A man sat in the dark shadows of an abandoned apartment building. A small, beeping sound came from his pocket, and he dug his hands in. Pulling out a cell phone, he received the call.

"Yeah," he whispered. "What is it?"

The man listened carefully for his instructions.

"I understand, Mr. Gerald. I'll do it."

The man shut his cell phone and placed it back in his pocket.

"Finally, some action..."

------------

Cloud ate his breakfast, showing very little emotion. Tifa stared at him and she stuffed egg into mouth, waiting for him to say something. He kept silent and did even stare at his "companion"; Cloud acted as if Tifa was not even there.

"Uh, hello?" Tifa said.

"Yes, Miss Lockhart?"

"Are we going to start my training today?" asked Tifa. "I've been here for a week now."

"What training? I never said anything about 'training'."

"Don't be stupid!" Tifa retorted. "Aren't I here for you to train me?"

Instead of answering immediately, Cloud continued to enjoy his meal, much to Tifa's annoyance.

"Miss Lockhart," he said. "The problem that you seem to have...has nothing to do with anything psychical. I let you run free so I could examine you a bit further."

"Huh?"

"I'll explain when we go out after breakfast..."

Tifa slammed her fork down on the plate.

"I'll never go out with **you** again!!!" she bellowed.

"Don't worry, Miss Lockhart," Cloud replied. "I won't 'wheel barrel' you again. I promise."

"How do I know that you won't do anything worse?"

"You can trust me," Cloud answered.

"I don't!"

"Then you are in for a very stressful Sunday, Miss Lockhart."

----------

Marlene waltzed into the kitchen in the afternoon, unannounced, and saw Heather, cleaning the dishes with Cid. She carefully snuck into the pantry and went on a search to raid it of its hidden doughnuts. Marlene found the bag of doughnuts and greedily snatched it from the shelf. A piece of paper that was underneath it fluttered to the floor. Marlene picked it up and noticed that there were magazine letters on it. She went out of the pantry and walked over to Heather.

"Hey," Marlene said. "What is this?"

Heather twisted her head from the dishes, and Marlene held the paper out to her. Heather read over the paper, and became as pale as a ghost. She began to tremble in terror.

"What's wrong?" asked Cid.

Cid was answered by Heather's hysterical screaming. She let the paper fall on the floor and burst out the kitchen door, crying and screaming all throughout the house. Marlene dropped her soon-forgotten "treasure" and ran after Heather.

"Heather? What is it? What's wrong?"

Cid picked up the paper on the floor and it read:

_It's time to end this game of hide and seek. Death will soon come upon you, children!_

Underneath the note was a blue spade symbol.

----------

Earlier on, Tifa found herself in an unfamiliar place. Though she knew that they were still in New York State, it was clear that Cloud had taken her out of NYC. She peered out of the window and saw Lake Seneca, one of the famous Finger Lakes. Up ahead, a town, filled with old English buildings, crowned the horizon.

"Um, Cloud?" said Tifa. "We're are we?"

"Geneva," Cloud answered. "We're going to a yearly event."

Tifa watched the shimmering lake. It was like a precious sapphire just polished and put out on display. Out on the water, several sail boats were skimming the dark blue. The sun shined through the sky with no clouds to hinder it.

"Why isn't Marlene coming?" asked Tifa. "She told me that she loved the water."

"It's an event for college students and older. No children allowed."

Tifa slouched on the front passenger seat and leaned her head on the window.

"Cid usually goes with me every year," Cloud continued. "But after last year, I'll never take him with me again."

"Why not?" asked Tifa.

"He caused an incident last year. During the last event, a famous singer, which Cid hated, came to entertain the people who came. Just my luck, he wasn't the only person there that hated the singer. So...he rallied up a small group of people...they got their hands on tomatoes, eggs, and water balloons...and right in the middle of the concert..."

"They did not!" Tifa exclaimed.

Cloud nodded in shame.

"I could tell that Cid was kinda wild," Tifa said, "but I didn't think that"

"I had to hide, so no one knew that he was with me," Cloud muttered. "And he thinks **I'm** a pain!"

"Which is less than what I can say for **you**, Cloud-sensei," Tifa replied.

----------

Cloud parked the car along the sidewalk. He grabbed his wallet and opened the car door. Tifa stepped out as well.

"Where's the event?" Tifa questioned. "Aren't we going to this event?"

"We need to find you a swimming suit."

"What do you mean?!" Tifa retorted. "I had several swimming suits in my closet!"

Cloud put a gentle, fatherly arm around Tifa. She winced when he touched her, but Tifa did not try to nudge him off.

"Now Miss Lockart," Cloud said, "Where did all of your swimming suits come from?"

"Designers gave them to me," she replied. "I don't swim that often."

"Are they good quality swimsuits?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me," Cloud commanded, "Would you rather dirty up a perfectly good swimsuit that you received from a renowned designer? Or would you rather get a cheap one?"

Tifa rubbed her chin in thought.

"You have a point there," Tifa declared.

Cloud gave Tifa a smile. Tifa grinned back.

"Are you ready to tell me what I'm here for?" she asked.

Cloud gave her a nod, and Tifa felt relief.

"According to Mr. Shinra's observations, the accounts of others, and my findings, your problem does not lie in your physical condition."

Cloud put his pointing finger on Tifa's forehead.

"It lies here."

"I don't understand," Tifa said.

"The corners that you have driven yourself in are mental corners," Cloud continued. "You have let your profession as an assassin affect how you react with your surroundings. You're here with me so I can break you of that. Think of me as your personal psychiatrist."

"Whatever, Cloud-sensei," Tifa replied. "You are the last person that should be **my **psychiatrist."

To Tifa's surprise, Cloud flashed her a look of death. He shook his head and chuckled under his breathe. Tifa remembered the arm that was around her.

"You see?" Cloud said. "We can get along quite nicely."

"We'll get along better," Tifa replied, "if you take your arm off of me."

----------

Cloud leaned on the door of the bathroom. He heaved a sigh and glanced at his watch.

"Are you almost finished?" Cloud inquired.

"Honestly! Men are so impatient!"

"That's because men have a shorter life span!" Cloud replied. "Hurry up!"

"I'm coming! I'm coming! Geeez!"

Cloud got off of the door, and Tifa came out with an annoyed look on her face.

"Men only wear trunks," Tifa grumbled. "Women have to cover their chest."

"Not in some places in France," Cloud teased.

Tifa rolled her eyes and walked past him.

"Are we going to this clandestine event yet?" Tifa asked.

"Nope."

"Ugh!"

----------

Meanwhile, three men stood from afar on the roof of a building, watching them. One man stepped forward and stared at Cloud in disgust.

"Look at that stupid boy," he replied. "All peaceful and confident. I'd like to rip that smug grin off his face!"

"Patience, my friend," the second man replied. "We have to wait for the opportune moment..."

"You're no fun," the third man retorted.

-----------

Until next time...


	13. Eyes on the Horizon Part Two

"So, when you first began to model, how did you feel?"

Tifa rubbed her head, trying her hardest to think back. Cloud walked beside her, patiently waiting for an answer. Tifa crossed her arms and looked in at her moving.

"I think," she replied, "I didn't know what to feel."

"Mixed emotions?" asked Cloud.

"Yeah...I liked modeling and having my picture taken...but I felt really insecure with my body...when I was fifteen...I thought I was too skinny and that my big bust size made my whole body look awkward...I still think that they make me look weird...Why am I even telling you that?!"

"I've seen your early pictures," Cloud said. "I didn't think you looked awkward at all. In fact, your earlier pictures are better than your recent ones."

"What's wrong with my recent pictures?!"

"It's only my opinion...but there is some reasoning behind it..."

Tifa scowled and pouted without thinking. She felt the ever familiar flash of camera light ascend and descend upon her. Tifa jerked her head toward where the light came from, and Cloud had a digital camera at his eye.

"Why did you bring that?" Tifa questioned.

"I'm going to be taking pictures of you for the rest of the day, Miss Lockhart. I hope you don't mind."

"I'm beyond the point of protest, Cloud-sensei."

Cloud put his camera back in his pocket. Tifa knew that this was going to be a very...very...very long day...

"I have a question for you now," Tifa declared. "Where are you **really** from?"

"I'm British South African, if you want to be politically correct," he replied.

"Born and raised in South Africa?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I thought that you would have said Jupiter or one of its moons or something," answered Tifa.

"Why does everyone think I'm an alien?" Cloud inquired.

"Because you don't act like a normal human being."

Cloud sternly looked at his "student" until she felt uncomfortable.

"If I've learned anything in life," said Cloud, "There is no such thing as being normal."

Unfortunately, Cloud had kept his eyes on Tifa without looking forward. In his path, a metal pedestrian pole stood tall. Before he could get away, Cloud's face came in contact with the pole with a painful thud. He held his face in suffering. Tifa stared with her mouth wide open.

"SON OF A ...!"

Beyond her control, Tifa laughed hysterically at her sensei. She bent over in delightful agony, with her eyes shut tight.

"That's rich! Wait till Yuffie hears about this!"

Another flash of camera light came and went. Tifa recovered from laughing and glanced at Cloud as if he were a leper. He took the camera away from his face and rubbed his slightly throbbing forehead.

"I can't say that I meant to do that," Cloud declared, "but beggars can't be choosers."

Cloud pushed a button on the pedestrian pole and put away his camera.

"You must be from outer space."

----------

The lakeside buzzed with excitement. Along the "beach" walk, a huge bazaar overlooked Lake Seneca. Everyone aged 18 and up strolled around in their swimsuits while buying cool junk or simply watching someone demonstrate their talents.

"Why are you wearing that jacket?" asked Cloud. "You look too warm in it. Take it off."

"I feel naked in this bikini, Cloud-sensei. Besides...you're wearing an unbuttoned shirt..."

"Why did you settle for it then? You could have gotten a one piece suit or a tankini instead."

"It felt okay when I tried it out in the store," Tifa responded, "but now I'm out in the harsh elements. I only wear skimpy things when I'm modeling."

Cloud eyed a small shop in the bazaar. He took Tifa's arm and led her there.

"Uh, what's this?"

A young, Asian woman came forward.

"Hello, may a help you?" she asked.

"This lady is in need of a sarong," Cloud replied.

Before Tifa could protest, the woman beckoned her into the stand.

"Please, take off your jacket, miss," the woman commanded.

Tifa reluctantly slipped off the jacket, revealing the black halter bikini she had hidden. Cloud averted his eyes out of respect.

"Black with random white streaks," the woman mumbled. She rested her chin on a fist and thought for a moment.

"I have just the thing!"

The young woman went to her table of many cloths and pulled out an almost sheer, black sarong, with white hearts all over it. Tifa's eyes shined with childlike joy.

"How cute!" Tifa cooed.

Tifa grabbed the sarong from the young woman's hands and wrapped it around her waist. Cloud pulled out his camera from his bag and snapped another picture.

----------

The three men walked along the bazaar side by side. Their eyes darted around constantly.

"Well, where is it!" asked one of them. "Where's the stupid car?!"

"Yeash," said the second man. "You'd think that a red BMW would be easy to find."

The third man pulled money out of his pocket, walked over to a food stand, and bought a sandwich wrap.

"You eating on the job?!" the first man yelled.

The third man greedily inhaled the wrap.

"Just because were on the job doesn't mean we have to starve, idiot!"

"HEY!"

The second man slapped the third's arm, nearly making him drop his lunch. He pointed away from the bazaar.

"Cloud's car."

The first man grinned malevolently.

"Let's go."

----------

Tifa struggled valiantly with the fishing rod. Not only did she not know where her hands were supposed to go, but she also has no clue how to cast of the line.

"I can't believe that people do this for fun," she grumbled.

She looked over and saw that Cloud was fishing on the dock with ease. His hands skillfully gave more slack to the line. How she envied him!

"_I have to admit it though,"_ she thought. _"He sure looks good, standing there. I've never seen him bare- chested before. And is that a six-pack?! I wonder if it's as hard as it looks..."_

Tifa violently slapped her forehead.

"What am I thinking?!" she screamed aloud.

"Huh?" Cloud asked.

"Forget it!"

She again tried to gain a handle on the fishing rod.

"If you don't know how to use a fishing rod," Cloud said, "Then let me help you."

"I don't need **your **help!"

Cloud glanced over and shook his head with a sigh. He set his fishing rod against a dock beam, walked behind Tifa, and grabbed the fishing rod in her hands. Tifa reluctantly accepted the help.

"You are right-handed, right?"

She nodded gruffly. Cloud took her right hand and clasped it around the reel. He took her left hand and placed it on the pole of the rod.

"Your stronger hand has to be ready to reel the fish in when you get a bite."

He stepped closer and leaned over to see how well she held the rod. When Cloud realized that Tifa was not holding it tight enough, he pulled her back until she was almost leaning on his chest. He squeezed her hands securely.

"Make sure to keep a good grip on the rod."

And he had no clue. Tifa mentally sang halleluiah and panicked at the same time. Cloud was way too close to her.

"_Okay, Tifa," _she thought. _"What do you do when a cute guy is less **than** an inch from you. Think! Think! Think!"_

"S...So," Tifa stammered, "How did you learn how to fish?"

"My father taught me," Coud replied. "He liked to go fishing once a month with his friends. I started going with him when I was seven. He still didn't allow to fish 'till I was 16."

"Why would your father want to fish?" asked Tifa. "I don't know very many rich guys who like to fish for fun."

"My father was an eccentric," said Cloud. "But I learned so much from him. Even as a young adult..."

"I can tell," Tifa teased. "It's not often that a teenaged boy would listen to his father though."

Cloud forced Tifa to step back on her right foot.

"My mother always told me to keep on learning, even when I was all grown-up. I'm still learning new things even to this day."

"So when are you going to learn that you can be ǖber-annoying sometimes?" asked Tifa.

"The day I die," Cloud replied. "Ready to learn how to cast off?"

----------

I love to update...


	14. And It Finally Begins

Heather stood in the great room and held the phone in her hands. Her fingers trembled over the phone keys. Tears stained her pale face and she couldn't stop whimpering and gasping. Heather tried desperately type a phone number, but her hands refused to stay still. Cid walked into the room, went towards her, and tugged the phone from her hand.

"I'll do it," he whispered.

Heather nodded obediently and sat down on a couch. Cid took a deep breathe, put the phone to his ear, and dialed.

----------

"I'll have two fried chicken sandwich wraps, please," Tifa said. "And hold the mustard on one of them."

The man who tended immediately went to work. Tifa recounted the money in her hand.

"Why am I so hungry?" she asked herself. "I ate a big breakfast this morning, and I've had several snacks today. It doesn't make any sense."

Cloud stood back, away from the line, waiting for his student to come back. His cell phone rang, and he casually answered it.

"Yeah, this is Cloud."

"Ah, Cloud!" Cid shouted. "Thank God!"

"What is it Cid?" asked Cloud. "You sound as if you've seen a ghost or"

Cloud stopped in mid-speech and listened. His eyes went wide with horror, and then, pure anger appeared on his face.

"Are you sure?" Cloud whispered.

Cloud glanced from side to side, without moving his head.

"Alright, I understand. I'll be there A.S.A.P."

As Cloud hung up the phone, Tifa was returning with the sandwiches. She quickly noticed the nasty look on his face.

"What are you scowling for?" she questioned.

Cloud quickly changed his façade and smiled.

"It's nothing," he lied. "We have to go back now."

"Is something wrong? You said that we were staying till six. It's four o'clock."

"Just a turn of events. That's all."

Tifa wasn't fooled, but she decided not to ask again. She convinced herself that it was none of her business.

"Do we have time to change?" Tifa asked.

----------

Juusang lounged on her queen-sized bed and buried herself in her homework. The clicking of stiletto heels and knock on her door interrupted her train of thought.

Mom.

"Hey, Juusang," she said. "I'm going on a date with Willis. Don't wait up. "

Juusang could smell the fowl stench of her mother's cigarette smoke mixed with sweet perfume. That was the only trace of her mother she would have for the day.

"Sure, Mom."

The heels clicked again and faded. The front door was shut hard, and Juusang was left alone once more.

It had always been like that, ever since her father had died, and she and her mother moved away from Korea. Her mother had become cold towards her and refused to show affection. Now that her mother had a boyfriend, Juusang saw even less of her. An empty house greeted her every day, after dance class.

"Can't you look me in the face anymore, Momma?"

----------

Reno loaded his pistol and pointed it at an invisible target. A smirk appeared on his face.

"So old Blue Lotus decided to rear its ugly head," he mumbled. "And I was just getting bored."

Vincent smacked Reno on the back of the head.

"Be serious," Vincent commanded. "We do not know when or where they will strike!"

Yuffie shook her head and peeked at her watch.

"Hurry up, Tifa," she whispered. "Assassins like to attack late at night. Mr. Strife and Marlene are in danger."

----------

Tifa quickly got into the car. Something was not right. Every now and then, she would see a grave look on Cloud's face. She slowly buckled up her seat belt as Cloud shut the door on his side.

"Is something going on at your place?" asked Tifa.

"I'll tell you about it when we get there."

"What?!" Tifa exclaimed. "No smart comments? No teasing?"

Cloud smiled as he started the engine. He pulled on the seat belt.

"What's the matter, Cloud-sensei? Ran out of things to say"

Cloud hand shot up, signaling for her to be silent. He sniffed the car and listened carefully. He glanced behind his car seat.

"GET OUT!"

He let go of the seatbelt and scrambled out of the car. Tifa unbuckled herself and got out.

"Hey, what's going on...?"

Cloud grabbed her arm and ran away from the car. As they neared the lake, the car exploded in a bluish-orange flare, taking the nearest cars with it. Bits of metal and fire littered the cars and parking lot below. Panicked screams filled the air, and people ran way from the parking lot. Tifa stared at the remaining smoke in shock. She then turned towards Cloud. His head was lowered, unable to make eye contact with anyone. His hand grinded into a fist; the knuckles cracked.

"How did you know that the car was going to blow up?"

Cloud did not respond. Tifa pulled at the sleeve of his jacket.

"Cloud-sensei!"

"It was an illegally modified version of C-4," he answered. "It gives off a nasty smell...like old leather mixed with compost...I remember it from a past mission...you probably noticed the stink too."

He sighed heavily and looked at the chaotic parking lot.

"Well," Cloud mumbled, "At least I decided not to drive my black BMW 760 LI. Otherwise, I would really be pissed right now."

Cloud looked away from the turmoil and towards the lake. To his surprise, Cloud noticed three faces near the lake, watching them. Familiar faces. When they realized that they were spotted, the three men turned on their heels and ran off. Without hesitation, Cloud sped after them.

"Hey!"

"Don't follow me!" Cloud shouted.

Her legs did not want to obey. Tifa stood alone, in the midst of the interrupted the festival. Cloud had disappeared. She gritted her teeth stubbornly.

"What am I?!" she yelled. "A damsel in distress?"

With that, Tifa dashed away from the scene in blind pursuit.

----------

"We split up," one of the men suggested. "Then one of us can ambush him when he least expects it."

The two men nodded and ran off into different directions. The lone man cocked his pistol.

"Smart move...Andrew Becton."

Becton swerved around, and Cloud leaned on the wall, watching him.

"I would never have thought of that," said Cloud. "Divide and conquer."

"I knew you were there," Becton grumbled. "I wanted my brothers to leave..."

His hand shot up; the gun pointed towards Cloud.

"...I wanted them to leave...so I could kill you myself!"

"Selfish," Cloud retorted. "Yet flattering at the same time."

"You cocky little..."

"You're not so humble yourself."

Becton put away his gun. Cloud looked at his soon-to-be opponent, questioning his actions. Becton's eyes seemed to be glazed over, as if a demon possessed him at that very moment.

"I'm not gonna kill ya with a gun," Becton sneered. "Where's the fun in that?"

"What's with all the talk then? Come and get me..."

----------

Tifa walked along the streets, back amongst the buildings of Geneva. She swerved her head from left to right, fully on alert. Her teacher was nowhere in sight. Tifa stopped in the middle of street. She threw her head, let it drop, and shook her head.

"Where did he go? How hard can it be to find **him**?"

Completely annoyed, Tifa continued down the sidewalk. She stopped in front an old, run-down building, almost ready to be torn down. She stared up at the tall mountain of tarnished, blackish-brown brick, trying to find relief.

"What a dump," Tifa whispered. "It should have been torn down a long time ago"

She saw a man's face peer through a window sill on the fourth floor. He quickly ducked his head back, thinking that he had not been seen.

"One of the men he was chasing," Tifa mumbled.

She walked up to the building's front door and ventured in.

"I think I found my teacher..."

Immediately, her senses were assaulted. There was no escaping the musty, foul, decaying air. Holes in the wooden plank floor threatened to give her a nasty fall. The floor creaked in nearly every step. The floor cracked underneath one of her steps, and Tifa backed up for safety.

Tifa found the steps to the second floor. She tested the steps by adding pressure to it with her foot. As she went up the stairs, Tifa pressed her hand on the gun hidden in her jacket. It was always better to be prepared.

Not a sound on the second floor. Tifa slid against the wall, searching carefully. She poked around the apartment, searching for anything and everything. At the second to last room, she noticed an old looking shoe at a doorway...no...it was a foot. Curiously, Tifa walked towards the foot and found the rest of the body. An old vagrant shot dead.

"Who would want to shoot a tramp on the streets?" Tifa muttered.

"Because like you, he was poking in someone else's business."

Tifa turned around and found a second man. Not the man she had seen. The man looked her up and down lecherously.

"You must Cloud's girl," he said. "He has good taste."

Tifa nearly went into a tamptrum when she heard "Cloud's girl".

"I'm flattered," she replied dryly.

The man advanced closer to her until he met the hot end of her gun.

"Let's not play games," Tifa said calmly. "What the heck is going on here?!"

"We're just paying your boyfriend a little 'visit'. Have a problem with that, toots?"

"I'm not his girlfriend,"she said. "And yes, it's quite a problem."

"Well, golly, Missy. I don't see why in sam's hill you're gettin' your pretty self involved...Why don't you go back to your house to mummy and daddy and play with your toys?...A little girl shouldn't get herself into dangerous games..."

Tifa heard a click from behind. She quickly hopped to the side, and a gun went off. The man jarred as the bullet hit him, the wrong target. If Tifa hadn't grabbed him as a body shield, he would have hit the floor like a nail. As expected, more bullets rained across the air. Tifa threw the body at the man who snuck up behind her as a distraction. He reflexively caught the body and lost his balance. Nevertheless, this companion managed to fire a few shots, while Tifa scrambled out the door.


	15. Not Human

Don't fret; this is not the end of the story...

----------

Generally, a fight is a way of letting off psychological stress or solving a conflict...physically. Awkward wrestling between boys is designed to prove superiority of strength of the latter. Fistfights are for people who want to fight, but are too afraid of getting scratching up and bitten at...wimps. An all out brawl is rolling on the floor, ripping each others clothes, punching, and kicking animal instincts. Then there's that one fight in a million, the kill-or-be-killed one. Unlike the other types of fights, this fight does not fully rely on brawn, but on cunning and wit. If you're devoid of common sense or mathematics and you get into a fight like that...you might as well go ahead and blow your brains out.

And Cloud suddenly found himself thrust into a kill-or-be-killed fight, for the umpteenth time. Wisely, Cloud preferred to dodge his opponent's attacks, instead of throwing his own. Infuriated and annoyed, Andrew Becton let his assaults fly faster. Cloud kept a playful grin on his face.

"What's wrong, Mister Strife?" he taunted. "Let's see a counterattack."

An insult based on insecurity.

Becton attempted to plant a high kick, which once again, Cloud avoided. Recovering his stance, he attempted another punch. Instead of getting out of the way, Cloud stopped the punch in his palm of his hand; the smile was gone. Cloud delivered him a devastating hit across the face, sending him against the decaying wall, disorientated.

Becton found himself crashing through the old wall. Dust and pieces of wood went sailing through the air. He felt the fresh blood on the side of his face, and stared daggers at Cloud.

"What's the matter?" Cloud said mockingly. "You **did **say you wanted a counterattack."

Forgetting himself, Andrew Becton went flying at his opponent in a fury.

Provoking anger on a short notice had always been Cloud's specialty.

----------

Vincent stood in the empty driveway of estate. Cid, also present, paced back and forth anxiously.

"I don't like this," Cid grumbled. "Cloud may be childish at most times, but he's always punctual. Something's not right."

"A guy like that?" Vincent asked dryly. "Punctual?"

Cid stopped pacing, and made a decision.

"I'm going out there."

"Knock it off, Cid. He's probably stuck in traffic."

"Cloud drives on a back road to get to Geneva," Cid retorted. "He should have come back two hours ago."

Vincent followed in silent protest as Cid walked quickly to the garage. Seven cars, not including the red BMW, lined up, side by side. Cid chose a black van and got behind the wheel.

"And if they come back while you're gone?" Vincent inquired.

"Then call me on my cell!"

Vincent stared at Cid in shock and resolved not to stop him. The car engine revved up. Cid pushed a button on the dashboard, and the garage door went up. The car majestically descended from the garage, and then, suddenly the car stopped in the driveway. Cid rolled down the car window and shouted for Vincent's attention. Vincent ran over to the van, and Cid graciously apologized.

"Try to understand, Mister Valentine," Cid said. "Cloud and I go way back...Shinra has nothing to do with me. We were partners and friends too...and I owe him my life a hundred times over."

Without another word, the van speed out of the driveway and away from the estate.

----------

"_Back in action so soon? Nothing usually happens during the first two months..."_

Tifa quietly leaned on the wall, gun up and ready. Listening carefully, eyes glancing to the side, she waited for her new enemy to show himself. She slowly felt the tension crawl up her spine. Unlike the anxiousness she always felt during a job, Tifa was touched by an unsettling sensation. It felt like winter, when it was supposed to springtime. Her breathing, though quiet, quickened at any sudden noise. To make matters worse, she felt sick to the stomach. Tifa quickly thought up that she had eaten one snack to many.

Barely audible footsteps finally came towards her. The winter became colder. Each step was torturous. This man was taking his dear old time, much to Tifa's exasperation. He searched each room carefully, not wanting to miss a thing. She almost wanted to fling at her new opponent, with reckless disregard for her life.

After a minute of waiting, he was finally close to her. But then...the man leaned on the wall, pulled out a lighter and cigarette, and began to smoke.

"Come out from hiding," the man said. "I already know you're there."

Embarrassment and anger mixed into her blood. She briskly walked around the corner, and there he was casually blowing the fowl smoke in a smoggy cloud. The man rubbed his brunette hair with a free hand; He refused to even stare at her.

"How did you know I was there?" Tifa snarled.

"The smell..." he answered. "I followed the smell."

An amused expression morphed onto his face, and the man began to chuckle to himself.

"What's so funny?" Tifa said. "And what in the world do you mean by 'I followed the smell'?"

The man pretended not to listen to her. Tifa was becoming more and more irritated with him

"A pathetic **human** like yourself couldn't possibly believe the truth."

Tifa's eyes widened. The phrase that he had used was strange to her.

_Pathetic human. _

_What kind of person would say something like that?_

Tifa finally remembered to point the gun at her opponent.

"Who are you?!"

The man glanced at her for a moment, matter-of-factly, with his dark green eyes, and then averted his eyes once again.

"My donors named me Jerald Becton," he replied emotionlessly.

"Donors?" Tifa repeated. "Owners...?"

"Ol' Shinra didn't tell you everything, did he? How unfair of him."

Jerald immediately threw his cigarette to the ground and suffocated it with his foot. He looked down at the dying cigarette as if it were an interesting animal at the local zoo. Finally, he turned to Tifa, with a sadistic smile on his face.

"Well, shall we get to it?" he replied.

Before she even had the chance to answer, before her very eyes, Jerald's skin began to glow! Tifa stepped back in shock. His skin quickly began to glow brighter and brighter, until Tifa had to cover her eyes from being blinded. The light descended, and then a voice was heard.

"Just to let you know," a female voice said, "I don't play nice..."

Tifa hurriedly uncovered her eyes to see who the owner of the voice was, but she was soon met with a swift kick in the stomach. She flew backwards and found herself looking at the dust covered floor. Tifa rolled on her back, coughing. A leather boot appeared in the air, and Tifa rolled away, just avoiding being stomped on the face. She looked up to her attacker and found that it was not Jerald Becton at all...but a woman, slightly older than her, completely leather clad from neck to toe. The woman turned to Tifa and grinned.

"_Where the heck did the freak go?!"_

----------

Yuffie stood outside in the garden, aimlessly looking into the slowly darkening sky. She walked onto the lawn, took in a deep sigh, and slumped her shoulders.

"I don't like this," Yuffie whispered. "I have a really bad feeling about this."

The shivers were up and down her spine once again. This was going on too long for her

"Have a little faith in them, won't you?"

Reno came up from behind and joined Yuffie, much to her dismay.

"It's not faith that's my problem," Yuffie grumbled.

"Then what?"

"Forget it," snarled Yuffie. "You just wouldn't understand..."

Reno looked down at his shoes and said, "You're getting that feeling too?"

Yuffie stared at Reno in sincere shock.

"The feeling like we've jumped onto more than we could bargain for?" Yuffie continued nervously.

Reno nodded gravely, and Yuffie covered her mouth, wanting to shriek.

----------

Crash! Tifa hit the wall with a terrific thud, causing it to crack and give off dust. She landed on her hands and knees and curled up into a ball.

"_This pain isn't real,"_ Tifa thought. _"It feels like my bones are shaking!"_

The casual clicking of boots made its way to Tifa's landing spot. Tifa looked up the leather-clad woman and sneered.

"My my," the woman said playfully. "You're putting up more of a fight than I thought you would. I'm actually having fun with you!"

If that couldn't make you furious. Tifa immediately got up and lunged at the woman. The woman gave out a yelp of surprise as Tifa knocked her backwards.

"Sorry to ruin your playtime!"

----------

"Why won't you stay still!"

"If I let you hit me," Cloud replied dryly, "it might hurt!"

Left punch...duck down.

Right punch...slide left.

Double time punch...slide left and then right.

High kick...duck down again.

Becton was becoming annoyed fast...he looked behind Cloud and noticed an advantage. With newly gained confidence, Andrew Becton began to force Cloud backwards. A smirk appeared on his face, making Cloud feel uneasy.

Suddenly, Cloud felt a lack floor underneath the back of his foot. He looked over his shoulder and noticed the stairs behind him for the first time. He turned back too late and was brutally punched in the mouth. Cloud fell down the flight of stairs, breaking one or two on his way down, and landing out of Becton's view.

Becton leaned against the wall, almost tired out, and forced himself down the stairs. No one was at the base of the stairs.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," Becton chanted.

Becton sniffed the air like a curious puppy and caught what he wanted. Walking into the middle of the room, Becton made a left turn to the next hall of apartments. To his angry astonishment, he saw no one.

"Where did he go?" Andrew Becton muttered. "You can't just disappear into thin air..."

"Up here!" a woman's voice teased.

Becton heard a creak from above looked up. Two feet landed violently in his face and leapt off, landing behind him as fell backwards, dazed and confused. A lady got up from her perfect landing, and swerved around, her dark blue eyes ready for more. Becton recovered and got up to face the lady, but he quickly met a roundhouse kick in the face.The lady's attack was worse than hell's fury. She was merciless and cold in every hit she let loose, not allowing Becton to even recover. The woman saw the opportunity of a window at the end of the hall, and Becton went right threw it.Andrew Becton grabbed on to the window sill with one of his hands for dear life, from the back street eight levels below. The lady walked up to the broken window, brushed he yellow blonde hair of her shoulder, and looked down at him in pure rage.

"Lousy, two-bit, waste of skin," she snarled. "Even my patience has its limits..."

She stomped on his face, and Andrew Becton went falling down to his death.

----------

Tifa desperately struggled for air. The woman had her gloved hands wrapped around Tifa's tiny neck, cruelly squeezing.

"_This woman is so strong! How is she doing this?! She looks no stronger than I am!"_

Tifa squirmed in panic, trying to get away. The woman let go, out of amusement, and Tifa slumped down to the floor, resigned, wheezing, and coughing for breathe. Then, the woman bent down and looked Tifa in the eyes.

"You know," the woman finally said, mockingly, "I really do hate to do this to a lady..."

"What...are...you...talking about?" Tifa managed to reply.

Tifa then stopped to look at her enemy and came to a horrified realization. This woman had dark green and brunette hair...just like Jerald Becton.

"No," Tifa whispered to herself. "That can't be! You're a...a"

"A girl?" Jerald replied. "No, I'm not actually. I'm just more nimble in this form..."

"B...but...but..."

Jerald snickered offensively at her.

"I told you that a human like you wouldn't understand!"

Tifa tried to get up and run, but Jerald quickly pinned her down by his hand. She...er... he pulled a syringe out of his pocket, and pulled Tifa's shirt down, exposing skin.

"And know," he said, "I hate to say this, but now I will let you die peacefully."

Now, Tifa was flaying and flopping to get away. Jerald simply smiled and aimed the syringe. Then, a shot rang out in the room, and blood splattered all over the wall. Jerald's dead body fell onto Tifa's lap.

Tifa heard heavy footsteps, and a hand stretched out to help her. She looked up and saw the blonde lady, shaking her head and smiling. At that very moment, the lady said something that nearly frightened Tifa to death.

"Dear Miss Lockhart, didn't I tell you **not **to follow me?"

**End of Phase One**

----------

My dear friends of this story is not yet over. This is merely the end of the first phase of the story. I will continue this story, in another story, but the genre will be changed. The tone will become a little more serious. I will admit that around chapter six or seven, I may have gotten a little carried away...I never meant to have two parts to this tale.

The reason I have decided to make a "part two" is because the next part is more complicated this first one. Therefore, it makes literary sense to do so. If you don't believe that, then think of it this way:

I'm doing it because I feel like it.

From Lord Divestre Croft with love

P.S.

Watch out for part two: Killing Them Softly-Blue Lotus' Rhapsody.


End file.
